The Greatest Irony
by DaesGatling
Summary: It was a great irony, this life of Jefferson's...he was a true love baby and there was no one alive who loved him. A look into the life of Jefferson and how he became the vicious man he was before he met the wife he married out of boredom and how he learned to love and change himself after his daughter was born and his wife was lost.
1. Chapter 1

It was a great irony, this life of Jefferson's.

He had been the only child born to his parents. Or at least that was what he was told since he was a child but he had no reason to disbelieve it. He was told by the head of the small orphanage that he'd been found on the side of the road next to the bodies of the parents. His father had his throat cut, most likely by the bandits that tended to stick around near the city roads but far enough from them to disappear from the knights that patrolled the area.

His mother had been found with a knife in her chest. They told him that she had lived long enough to birth him before she died.

The robbers had taken everything but the clothes on his parent's back; they'd even taken their travel papers so Jefferson was not given the privilege of knowing their names.

If it weren't for the farmer that had found him shortly after, he would've joined his parents in the afterlife. Which, compared to what he was facing, would've been a blessing.

Jefferson didn't have many memories of those first few years of his life. He remembered it was quite crowded in that orphanage, the master of the house said that it was far too many children for him to care for and the crops in the nearby farms were failing which meant that no one would want children that couldn't work the fields. He remembered screaming for hours until someone finally got to him to feed him or care for him. He remembered the girl that cared for him was a girl approximately eight years old called Lottie. He remembered that the only time her eyes lit up was when she held him because he only stopped crying when she was the one to pick him up. It made her feel important.

Lottie was the one that taught him how to talk. He didn't remember his first words though. He did remember that she taught him to walk. He remembered the cold cobblestones underneath his feet. He remembered her hugging him when he toddled those few steps and he remembered that she smelled like bread and spices. She worked in the kitchen when she wasn't attending him.

When he would grow older and talk about these memories, no one would believe him. They said that a child did not remember such things and perhaps he made it up to cope with the fact that his parents were brutally murdered and he grew up with no one to love him. He made it up because he was always hungry, his thirst was never quenched, his clothes never fit and he was loaned out to whoever would pay to orphanage to work as soon as he was old enough to understand orders and what they meant.

The memories weren't fake though. He saw them as if he were looking at reality.

The worst of remembering though…the perfect memory that he seemed to have was the bad things he experienced seemed worse because he could recall every memory in his head over and over again.

The first of these was probably the most telling and traumatizing. He was two and his cradle had been moved next to Lottie's bed. It was required of the young girls to care of the babies. The mistress of the house couldn't care for them all by herself and he and Lottie had bonded.

She had even given him his name. She'd named him after her father.

The winter of his second year, she'd gotten a cough that settled deeper and deeper in her lungs. The doctor only visited once. Jefferson watched from his cradle as the doctor whispered something to the mistress, handed her a vial and then left.

The vial ran out and Lottie still grew weaker.

That night, Jefferson escaped the crib. He'd figured it out easily; Lottie sometimes pulled him in the bed with her when it was cold. And he was cold now so he curled up next to her and went to sleep.

The master and the mistress both found them like that the next day. Lottie was unnaturally still and Jefferson lay next to her, sucking on his thumb. He waited for her to wake up. She would smile and tickle him and care for him.

But she didn't awaken.

They didn't bother with him as they put a blanket over Lottie's head and lifted her up. Jefferson didn't understand but he knew he didn't like it. He gave an angry screech at them for jostling him.

The flames in the fireplace at the far end of the room shot out of the fireplace and receded back almost as quickly. Everyone nearby screamed and scrambled away but other than scorched earth, no one was harmed.

Some of the others had run to attend the children at fireplace.

Everyone but the master of the house, who looked at him with a mixture of confusion and terror. He gathered Lottie in his arms and walked by his wife, "Keep the other children away from that boy, he has magic."

It wasn't until Jefferson was much MUCH older that he learned the magic he possessed was because he had been born out of true love.

So, he was a true love baby and there was no one alive who loved him.

It was a great irony, this life of Jefferson's.


	2. Chapter 2

The first five years of his life, Jefferson understood only one thing. Misery.

The master of the house and his wife usually did their best to ignore him. The fear on their faces was evident whenever he got angry or upset and things happened. Once the bed rattled and the building shook. Another time, the dishes…the good dishes all broke. He didn't understand why they blamed him. He hadn't touched them, but whatever reason they chose didn't matter. It usually ended with him getting shoved in the small dark closet as punishment.

In the dark, he would curl up in the corner and keep his eyes tightly shut. At three years old, the dark terrified him.

One day, he would be adopted. One day he would be pulled into somewhere to work and the parents would find that they liked him and they would adopt him and he would be happy.

Jefferson wouldn't have known that good parents existed if he hadn't seen them out the window. The only parents he saw in the orphanage were the kind that grabbed the nearest kid that they'd liked only to return them when it was too hard.

Or the kind of parents that gave their terrified screaming children to the master or mistress of the house and left them here; never to return.

And as the hours passed, Jefferson tried to imagine the faces of who his parents would be but they never came. He could never imagine the kind faces of those parents that he would see outside when he was trapped in the dark closet. He only imagined the stone faced terrifying people that he knew would probably be the ones that he went home with.

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When he turned four, the magic that they said he possessed faded but the damage had already been done.

The master of the house still ignored and abused him when bad things happened. His favorite method to punish the orphans under his control was to slam a belt that he carried in his hands across their back. Jefferson seemed to get more of that punishment than the others, and sometimes the red welts across his back bled. It wasn't his fault but ruining the shirt he wore was something that got him punished again.

And the other children noticed it too.

In an orphanage, the children were thought of as burdens to society. Especially those that was too young to work. Resources were limited and the strong survived.

Jefferson was not resourceful, and he was not strong. The only thing that had kept the others from hurting him was now gone and the others knew it almost immediately.

He was beaten by the other children. It felt like it was constantly. They broke his nose once…broke a leg…broke his ribs another time…

And it was then that the mistress of the house decided that the faster she could give him to the first family that came along, the better.

But as it had been for the past 4 years….no matter how hard they tried to give him away, no one wanted him.

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He was five when the Dark One came.

The master of the house brought him to the front room where the man was standing and immediately Jefferson felt his blood run cold.

The…thing wasn't even a man. He had the eyes of a snake and the skin of some kind of creature that Jefferson knew was unlike anyone that he'd ever seen before. His teeth were rotten and disgusting and immediately Jefferson pulled back from the master's grip.

The children only came to the front room for a reason.

And Jefferson did NOT want to be here for that.

He broke free of the master of the house and ran back to the small dormitory. He didn't want to go with that scary man, he wanted to wait for real parents…he didn't mind staying here to wait…real parents would come…he just had to be good and wait…

The master of the house found him shivering under the bed.

Wordlessly, he grabbed Jefferson's shoulder and pulled him out from under his bed. Maybe he should've hid under someone else's bed, maybe he wouldn't have been found.

Jefferson tried to scramble away but the man gave him another hard tug. Jefferson saw the man standing in the room and gave a cry of fear and pain when he was given a good hard yank.

The man that had come to look gave the master of the house a dark look when Jefferson whimpered and without a thought he snapped his fingers and to Jefferson's fear, the master of the house transformed from a human into a cockroach all into a puff of purple smoke.

Jefferson, now free from the man's grip, fell down. Without seconds, he was scrambling up and raced to hide in the dark closet that had almost felt like a second home to him since he was two.

The man found him cowering in terror a few seconds later.

"Now, now," the man almost cooed and knelt down to Jefferson's level, "There's no need to be frightened."

Jefferson didn't say anything. Children should be seen and not heard, he knew that much, it'd been one of the first things that he learned.

"I'm not going to hurt you, my name is Rumpelstiltskin. They tell me your name is Jefferson and you're…unique from what the other children are."

"I'm different," he finally said.

"You're not _different," _the man said with something that sounded like snake talk, "You're special, they just don't understand that."

"I don't want to go with you," Jefferson said.

"Oh no, Jefferson, I have no interest in raising you. I'm here to talk you to a man that can teach you how to harness that magic that you're repressing."

Jefferson didn't know what _repressing_ meant. But that wasn't what he was focusing on, "I'm gonna have a dad."

"Not a dad," the man said reluctantly, "More like a teacher."

"Why do you want me to be there?" he asked.

"Because you're going to be a portal jumper one day, Jefferson," the man said, his grin showed the blackened crooked broken teeth that made Jefferson look away in disgust and fear, "And one day, I'm going to need your help."

"Why?"

"That's my business," he hissed, "But one day, you'll be important."

Jefferson looked up, he didn't care about being important, "Will you find me a family?"

"I'll see what I can do."

Jefferson didn't rise up to immediately go with him, but he didn't fight Rumpelstiltskin as he put a firm grip on Jefferson's wrist and pulled him up.

Rumpelstiltskin stopped as if he sensed something and he looked at Jefferson, "My gods, boy. What have they done to you?"

Jefferson didn't understand if he meant that they took his magic away or the injuries they gave him but as they left the building. Rumpelstiltskin made sure to step on the cockroach as he led Jefferson out of the dormitory.


	3. Chapter 3

The imp named Rumpelstiltskin took Jefferson to a carriage that was waiting outside and gave Jefferson permission to look out the window while he went over some sort of book that he was reading.

Jefferson had never seen the rest of the town before. Not really. He only knew the street that the orphanage existed on. So the taller buildings as they crept their way forward both terrified and fascinated him

How did they make them that tall?

They stopped in the market and Rumpelstiltskin had the man driving the carriage buy Jefferson some sweets. At first Jefferson was reluctant to take them as the driver held them out. He didn't like this game. The other boys did it to him all the time.

Rumpelstiltskin seemed to understand, "He's not going to take it away from you, boy. Those are for you."

Jefferson was still reluctant but the minute his hands closed around the treasure, he scurried back to his spot in the corner of the wagon and held them close to his chest.

Rumpelstiltskin watched him, "You better savor those, child. It'll be awhile before you'll see something like them again."

Jefferson peeled a small portion of it off and ate it, the cherry flavoring made his mouth water and he peeled off an even bigger piece.

"Where are we going?" he finally asked the man when he was done.

"I am taking you to a school."

Jefferson looked up. Even he knew that schools weren't for people like him. They cost money for one thing. And most families couldn't afford the upkeep of the farms and businesses if the children went to school and weren't there to help him.

"You'll learn to read," Rumpelstiltskin continued, "Write, do math…when you're older you'll learn to apprentice and if you're really worth my time and you haven't completely repressed your magic thanks to what those people have done to you then…you'll be a portal jumper and you'll see worlds that only few dream about. You'll have adventures, be a hero if you wish…"

That got Jefferson's attention. There was a boy in the orphanage for a while who used to tell them about heroes and adventures and evil and good…but those were all fantasy stories, not real. The others treatment of that reminded him of it constantly.

"When can I have my family?" Jefferson asked.

Rumpelstiltskin looked at him, "I never said I would give you a family, I said I'd try. And until you get old enough to start helping me, then I can't exactly help you now can I?"

Jefferson felt his heart sink with disappointment. The imp seemed to realize that he was too harsh and with a flick of his wrist, more sweets appeared in front of Jefferson.

But all of a sudden, Jefferson wasn't hungry.

"You'll be taken care of there," the imp said, "You won't be tormented and you'll be taught to make a difference. Far happier than you'd probably be at the orphanage where they beat you daily."

But Jefferson didn't care about the school. And when it all came down to it, he didn't want adventures or to be a hero anyway…that was all fake.

He just wanted at least one person to call a parent.

And since he wasn't going to see that, why should he care about where he was going?


	4. Chapter 4

The school was out in the country and it took two days to travel there. Which meant they made it in four. Every village they stopped in, Rumpelstiltskin booked a small room for Jefferson while he conducted deals. He let Jefferson do whatever he wanted in the room within reason. If Jefferson got near a fire place or stove then Rumpelstiltskin suddenly appeared behind him and patiently led him away.

He let Jefferson have anything he wanted to eat and he summoned clothes that replaced Jefferson's rags and had a doctor examine him to make sure he was healthy.

Jefferson had never worn clothes like this and he felt constricted. It was hard to play with some of the toys that Rumpelstiltskin let him have when he was too busy trying to just move.

By day three, he was bored. The imp spoiling him for three days left him unafraid of the man and much to the imp's annoyance, Jefferson was soon sitting next to him in the carriage and trying to understand the funny curves on the paper, "What's that say?"

"It says 'curse,'" the imp said, he tried not to show his irritation with Jefferson practically sitting in his lap while he worked but it was quite obvious that he wanted Jefferson on his side of the carriage where Rumpelstiltskin had set him up with enough things to amuse him.

But Jefferson was bored with those, these funny words on the paper were a new curiosity to him and he stared at it with wonder, "What's that say?"

"True love," he said with clenched teeth, "Don't you think you'd be happier over there?"

Jefferson didn't take his eyes off the page, "Will I read one day?"

"You'll have far more chances to learn at the place you're going to than at the place you were."

Jefferson looked up at him and then back at the words, "Perhaps I could help you one day."

"Oh, I'm counting on it."

That pleased Jefferson and he sat back, his feet swinging, "How long will that be."

"I don't know," Rumpelstiltskin said, hi irritation over being interrupted evident again, "When you were a baby, you had magic because you were born from true love. However, with most children, that power fades with time as they grow older and don't train that magic. One day, you will be able to channel that magic into something that will become your portal."

"When will that be?"

"I don't know; whenever you're ready."

"When do you think that will be?"

"Jefferson, I don't know."

Jefferson looked down at the paper, "I want to learn how to read before I get magic, is that alright?"

"I suppose."

"May I have some paper to draw on?"

Rumpelstiltskin sighed and waved his hand without looking up. A piece of charcoal and a stack of papers sat on the seat across from him Jefferson giggled in glee and scrambled to the paper. He was going to draw the city, he was going to draw the towns that they were in and he was going to draw the forest that they were now travelling in.

And Jefferson pulled the curtain back again and stared at the trees. He had never seen the forest until this week and he didn't want to forget anything about it when he tried to draw.

In the end, it was just sort of two lines with scribbles that looked more like clouds to serve as leaves but Rumpelstiltskin told him it was good enough for someone his age.

And then he gave Jefferson a task that kept him busy for the rest of the trip.

He taught Jefferson how to write his own name. And Jefferson wrote it over and over because in his own mind…it was the only thing he had that was truly his. And even though he didn't understand fully what the funny lines and curves really said, he understood that it was his name. And writing it was far more of a gift than anything Rumpelstiltskin could give him.

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Jefferson's uniqueness was like a curse to him in the orphanage. His ability to unknowingly wield magic had singled him out and made him the target.

And now he knew a different burden here. Equality. Everyone was treated the same here. So much so that most of the time the instructor got Jefferson's name wrong. Rendering the gift that Rumpelstiltskin gave him in knowing how to spell it completely worthless in Jefferson's young eyes. What was the point in knowing how to spell it if no one knew it?

The first week was miserable. Jefferson was ignored for the most part and he was out of his element here in the country school. He hated the orphanage but at least he recognized people there…and the imp scared him at first but at least he sort of knew him.

Here…no one attempted to talk to him or get him ready for this. They just put him in the class and wished him luck and…and it wasn't even fair because he didn't know what he was supposed to do in a class. So he pulled his legs up against his chest and tried to make sense of what the master said about colors and numbers and words…

But he learned. The second week wasn't so bad when he started…understanding what was being said. He started understanding what the numbers meant and by the end of the week he could count to fifty and could remember 20 colors when the master showed it to him when he brought him in for his test.

By the end of the month, the odd lines started to make sense and Jefferson could make sentences out of them. Small ones of course, he was only five years old or so everyone guessed.

"He's learning," the master told Rumpelstiltskin when he came to see how the children he'd brought there were faring. Jefferson wasn't supposed to be listening but there were things one could learn when they were small enough to climb to the top of the bookshelf in the library and watch the happenings around him.

"How fast?"

"Quickly. He's picking it up almost faster than any boy I've ever seen. Your little Jackson-"

"The boy's name is Jefferson," the imp corrected.

The master swallowed in fear, "Of course sir, forgive me, there are so many children-."

"I care little about the other children on the grounds; I only care about the children that I bring to you. Please be so kind as to remember their names. After I brought you out of debt, knowing who you're talking about is a pittance."

"Yes well…" the man said nervously and Jefferson strained to listen, "Jefferson…with what seems like his ability to understand things quickly and the perfect memory that he seems to have…is shaping up to be a smart young man. But we can't tell this at the age he is of course-."

The Imp looked around and young Jefferson could almost swear that the imp had seen him hiding up in his favorite place.

And the imp smiled.

The feeling that Jefferson felt in his chest couldn't be explained but he held onto it as tightly as he could. He wasn't equal, he was still special. He knew this because the imp had taken an interest in him and even the head master of everything had noticed him.

The feeling, he would later learn, was called pride.


	5. Chapter 5

When Jefferson turned seven, there was girl put in his class that had shiny brown hair and fierce green cat eyes that felt like she was looking into your soul.

Her name was Juliana and she decided that no matter Jefferson's protests, he was going to be her betrothed.

He'd gotten over his initial shyness by then. He was seven, he was a lot smarter than most of the children in his class and he was perfectly aware of it. Rumpelstiltskin called him arrogant…which was just another word for being smart and knowing it in Jefferson's mind.

But the day that Julia planted herself in the desk next to him…he realized that he knew nothing about the female gender.

"Hi," she said boldly.

"Hi," Jefferson said and ignored her. He was in the middle of a history text and really he didn't have time to deal with a girl! He'd realized soon after he arrived that this place was a breeding ground of competition, especially from the children that Rumpelstiltskin brought here. And one tiny slip up could mean getting thrown down the ladder and Jefferson was working too hard to let that happen.

What started out as a promise for a family when he was five had stirred something within Jefferson and now he was striving to work to fulfill his end of the deal. He was going to be the best that he could be and he was going to get that family that Rumpel said he'd find for him and they were going to be proud to adopt someone who worked so hard and excelled so well.

Juliana looked at him, "I love you."

He stopped and slowly looked up, "What?"

"I said I love you and I want you to be my boyfriend."

"I don't…love you back," he said quickly. What made her think that he was interested? He had studying to do! He had a real mother and father to impress one day, not some gross girl.

She shrugged, "You're just saying that, you're a boy."

"I'm saying that because I don't care," he tried to focus on the account of the girl named Morraine who saw Rumpelstiltskin stop the first great Ogre Wars, "You're distracting me."

She scooted closer, "Do you ever take that nose out of those scrolls?"

"Sometimes I sleep," he said, he wondered if that was sarcasm that she used. He still hadn't completely figured that out yet but he was learning. Apparently the headmaster said Rumpelstiltskin was sarcastic all the time, Jefferson really hoped that wasn't true because then that would mean he was NEVER getting his family.

"I think if you looked up and kissed me, you'd change your mind."

Jefferson nearly toppled out of his seat when she lunged at him. His heart started hammering in his chest as the seat righted itself and she reached for him again, "Gods, no! Leave me alone!"

Everyone looked up at them as he scrambled out of his seat.

She pouted and crawled over his chair, "That's what all the stories say works!"

"Those are stories!" he cried out and took off out of the room. Sometimes it was better to run, he'd learned. Usually arrogance came with bigger enemies that wanted to beat you up because you knew how smart you were, "They're not real!"

"They're from the histories!" she protested and chased him down the hall.

Jefferson tried to run faster than she could but she was smaller and spryer than he was. And he was in the middle of a growth spurt.

Something appeared in the corner of his eye and before he had time to stop, he ran face first into the headmaster of the school. Scrolls and parchment flew everywhere and Jefferson stuttered out an apology and stood up running before Juliana could catch him.

The dining hall, the older children were eating, he could lose her in there.

He threw open the door and stopped in surprise when he saw that the older children weren't sitting at the tables where he thought they would be.

It was, in fact, some of the school staff sitting around eating quietly while Rumpelstiltskin sat at the head of the table and picked apart some bread that had no doubt been made special for him. He was bored and everyone else looked uncomfortable.

Jefferson stopped to look at the scene in front of him and temporarily forgot why he was running until Juliana slammed into him. Jefferson went tumbling to the floor and tried once again to scramble away but Juliana was faster. She grabbed him by his jacket and planted a kiss right on him. Jefferson pushed her off and gagged at the girl germs that he was now covered in. He scrubbed his face with the jacket and realized that the staff was now giving out mocking "Oooo" while the women were giving affectionate "Awwwws"

And little Jefferson couldn't be more humiliated. Especially in front of Rumpelstiltskin. He wanted to burst out crying but he knew that was a sure way to get them to laugh at him.

Instead he just glared at Juliana. This was her fault! Why couldn't she take no for an answer.

And then before he knew it, he heard the imp giggle beside him and pull him up, "Well done, Jefferson. She seems to have taken a shine to you."

Jefferson winced as the imp patted him on the head and watched as Rumpelstiltskin walked off. He felt demeaned but he couldn't explain why and he didn't understand why having a girl attack him and kiss him was supposed to be something to be commended.

For some reason, Juliana understood it, grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the dining room, "Rumpelstiltskin approves it. So you HAVE to be my boyfriend now."

The relationship lasted two weeks before Juliana got bored with him and moved on to Frederic, the distant cousin of a rich king. It was nothing personal, she had claimed, he could just afford to set her up for life if they got married one day.

Which was fine by Jefferson because he was looking for the right way to tell her that he was leaving her for Marceline. A mousy black haired girl that didn't talk much but she was a good kisser and she didn't claim his hands were sweaty when he held them and she said he was the smartest boy she knew.

Maybe some girls weren't so bad.


	6. Chapter 6

When Jefferson turned ten, he knew that his chances of finding a family to love him were all but gone.

He'd seen it in the other orphans. Families like the ones he wanted adopted children when they were young. Some wanted the memories of raising them and being through all the important stuff and others just wanted to pretend that they were the actual parents of the child they were raising and that child was going to grow up believing a lie.

No one wanted a ten year old as a son. Well…some did but that was because Jefferson would be able to work. They were looking for a servant and someone to help; they were looking for an apprentice, not an actual child to call their son.

He'd failed. He hadn't tapped into his ability fast enough and now he was going to be normal and worthless and Rumpelstiltskin wasn't going to help him. These were the things that he spent his nights thinking about.

Because the age of ten was when school ended for him. He'd passed his classes and he'd learned enough to know how to work hard and help run a business. He was looking to go back out into the world but what was he going to go back out into? Another orphanage until he was fourteen? The very idea of going back to one of those places sent icy chills down his spine and he wrote letters upon letters to Rumpelstiltskin begging him not to force him to go back.

But his letters went unheeded, and as the last days of spring passed and summer came, Jefferson was constantly caught up in the gripping fear of the unknown fate of his future.

What had his education got him? He could do algebra and he could read better than most adults could and he could write. But what did it amount to in the past five years if he ended up back at a place similar to the one he'd spent the early years of his childhood at?

Finally, the second to last day of school he got his answer. He was sitting at the lunch table by himself. The food went untouched, he was too busy worrying. His instructors had noticed his lack of appetite and tried to talk to him but he ignored them. What did eating earn them? Other than special events, the food was never even that tasty anyway.

"Foods getting cold, dearie."

Jefferson looked up to see the imp staring him down.

"You're here!" he cried in relief.

"You could feed a family of seven for a day with what's on that plate, boy. I wish you'd be more grateful.

Jefferson looked at him boldly. His anger and loneliness and fear he'd felt for the past month took hold, "Then find a family of seven and give it to them."

"Ooh," he said with a raised eyebrow, "Someone's forgotten their place."

"I sent letters!" he protested, "I worried about what was going to happen to me and where were you?"

"Finding you a place to live," the imp said calmly. It was as if they weren't discussing Jefferson's future, but instead were talking about the weather. He was that casual.

Jefferson's eyes grew, "You found me a family?"

"I found you work," the imp said, "There is a man in a nearby village. A hatter. He and his wife have five children in this school and they're struggling to make ends meet. Especially now that he found out that he has baby number six on the way. You will have room and board."

"Wages?"

"You will receive a percent of the wages but he needs help and most of the money will go to the school" Rumpelstiltskin said, "But you'll have warm food in your belly and a roof over your head…which is far more than most children your age have going for them."

"When do I leave?" he asked.

"I'll come for you in the morning," Rumpelstiltskin said, "That should be enough time to pack your things and say goodbye to your friends, yes?"

"I don't have friends," Jefferson said with far too much bitterness for someone his age.

"Well," Rumpelstiltskin shrugged, "Then it'll make your goodbyes easier, now won't it?"


	7. Chapter 7

Jacques was a large man. Not fat. Not really. It was hard to be fat when you have umpteen kids and a job that barley put enough food on the table as well as provide an education. But he was stocky. 'Big boned' was what first came into Jefferson's mind when he was standing in front of him.

Jacques grabbed Jefferson's face and forced him to look up, "He's awful young."

"Best age to work them, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin said and Jefferson could see the fear in the man's eyes when Rumpelstiltksin talked. He knew that he was getting an apprentice whether he wanted it or not and Jefferson boldly stared back to see if the man was going to purposefully make his life miserable just to get back at Rumpelstiltskin, "They learn faster this way and they don't already have hang ups about how you should run your business."

Marie rested a hand on her swelling belly. Her faded red hair gave an indication that she was started to get far too old to be birthing children and she looked at Jefferson with annoyance, "Another mouth to feed. Wonderful.'

"Except this one can work for his pay," Rumpelstiltskin nudged him with his foot, "Say something."

Three pairs of eyes focused on him. Jefferson felt exposed and vulnerable in front of them. He felt naked. He blushed bright red and found his throat was dry and he couldn't talk. Rumpelstiltskin tapped his foot impatiently and nudged him again, "Go on, don't be shy. You talked my ear off the whole way here." "

Jefferson's heart began to hammer in his chest, "You told me to be seen and not heard."

Rumpelstiltskin gave an exasperated sigh and tried to think of a way to turn it into his benefit, "You see? He follows orders and he'll do what he's told. I'm not exaggerating when I say the boy's smart and he'll learn and he's adaptable and has a perfect memory. You'd be doing well to accept him in your house. I imagine he'll help you turn a profit."

"Well," Jacques said, "It's not as if we have a choice, now is it?"

"Of course not," Rumpelstiltskin said with a smirk, "But I imagine the boy will be treated better though if you take him in willingly. Or…better yet I hope he is treated well regardless...it'd be a shame if you didn't…the last person that mistreated the boy…it didn't end very well for him. I do hate cockroaches."

Jefferson wasn't sure if he should smirk or not but the smile came to his lips regardless. HE knew it was wrong to revel in the death of someone but he wasn't going to feel bad about it. He still had nightmares and problems with tight spaces because of what the headmaster at the orphanage put him through. Rumpelstiltskin had vowed that no one would do anything like that to him again and so Jefferson decided that he was going to trust this man and his wife. Rumpelstiltskin never broke his word, that much was well known. In fact, one of the tutors questioned on whether or not he was a man of his word and…well, Jefferson heard differing stories on what happened to him.

It was never good to catch Rumpelstiltskin in a bad mood.

"Now," Rumpelstiltskin said and moved Jefferson to where he was standing in front of Rumpelstiltskin, "I have other calls to make, so…do well to take care of him. I have grown rather attached to this one."

Rumpelstiltskin had told him before they came in that he had 'potential'. Jefferson wasn't sure what that meant but the way that Rumpelstiltskin had said it made Jefferson unsure if Rumpelstiltskin truly had Jefferson's best interest in mind.

Jacques sighed, "We'll take him."

"I suppose we have no choice," Marie muttered.

"Wonderful," Rumpelstiltskin squealed and tousled Jefferson's hair in an almost paternal fashion, "Well then put him to work. I'll be back at the end of the week to see how he's doing!"

And then within a second, Rumpelstiltskin was gone and Jefferson was alone with these people that he was going to be apprenticing.

He looked for any sign of them despising him but they didn't give away any emotion. Instead Marie just turned around and walked to the kitchen and Jacques put his hand on Jefferson's neck and led him to the store.

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Sewing had always been thought of by Jefferson as woman's work but he didn't dare tell Jacques that when he sat him down at the table with a needle in hand.

Although Jefferson was irritated that the one job that Rumpelstiltskin had found for him was something that Jefferson knew little about.

"You will help run the shop during the day," Jacques told him, "And whatever I ask you to do then you'll do it. My wife may need help with the baby when it's born and if business is slow then you will help her."

And yet another thing that Jefferson knew little about. Well, Rumpelstiltskin had promised new experiences.

And then Jacques took a swatch of deep red cloth and grabbed some sort of device that Jefferson didn't really recognize, "You're very lucky because this part of the city is reputable. Do you know what that means?"

"It means that you're reliable," Jefferson said. He was ten, he wasn't stupid. He knew what these words meant, he'd read even harder ones before. Probably ones that this man had never seen before.

"Yes," Jacques said, "And that means we get a lot of customers and they all want different things. Our customers are very rich so that means that whatever they want, we have to make. We have quite a few regulars who boast about us-"

Jefferson looked up, "Who needs so many hats?"

Jacques shrugged, "People like their hats to match their clothes."

That was stupid. What happened if the clothes got damaged or thrown away? Did the hat get tossed out too?

"Don't question them," Jacques said, "If they were practical then we'd lose about 70 percent of our business."

It was slow that morning. Barely anyone came in but that was fine by Jefferson because he could learn when it was quiet.

His first hat that he learned to make was a sort of yellow bowler hat. It was far more difficult than what it looked. And at the end of the trial, Jefferson's fingers were bandaged and they stung every time he touched something and they felt cramped. Even popping them had barely done anything to ease the fact that he felt like he could barely move his fingers.

He kept his eyes trained to the ground when Jacques inspected his work, "Your stitches are crooked…and the seam is coming apart in a couple of places."

Jefferson winced at the criticism.

"However Rumpelstiltskin was right when he said you'd learn fast. You'll improve in time, I imagine. You'll do for the work I need done," he put more cheap cloth in front of Jefferson, "Make another."

Jefferson earned himself an extra portion of bread at dinner that night and he savored it. He had gone to a school where the bread was never fresh and the food just wasn't completely warm enough. Here, the food was piping hot and it burned his mouth and he didn't care.

He knew they wouldn't be his family. They had their own family to deal with and it had far too many children as it was.

But with the full belly, and his master's confidence and a new skill to be learned…

…it was enough.


	8. Chapter 8

When Jefferson turned fourteen, he could say that he learned the value of hard work. The tips of his fingers were covered in callouses and scars from where he'd worked them practically to the bone. He could identify 78 different types of fabrics and he had such a good eye that he could tell the differences in shades no matter how miniscule. Jacques came to value him and when the other children came to start apprenticing in the store, Jefferson got a bit of a promotion. And by promotion, he meant that now he was actually getting paid.

He took a lot of pride in his work. All the younger girls liked to come in and have him make their hats, not Jacques. And Jefferson knew exactly why they crowded around him most days. Marie had said once, as she held her three year old daughter in her lap, that Jefferson had a pretty face and that would be his ticket to getting what he wanted. That had been last year and Jefferson had heard her say it.

He worked that to his advantage. Nothing ever happened between him and any of the girls. Jacques told him that he'd skin him alive if he ever did anything to challenge a female customer's honor. Especially since he was only fourteen, which meant he was far too young to marry, know what love was, and he had no means to support himself outside the shop as he was still learning.

Not that he would. At least not yet. When Jefferson wasn't working, he was chasing Marie's two youngest daughters around trying to make them behave. And at four years old and a one and a half year old, it was easier said than done. Doing anything that even remotely ended in fatherhood was something that terrified him. He was fourteen! He didn't want to be tied down!

When he told Jacques that, the man gave a hearty laugh and slapped him on the shoulder, "Aye boy, I thought the same thing and then a year later I was married for half a year and my wife was new with child."

Jefferson didn't want to know that. He never really thought of Jacques as…young. They weren't old but they weren't exactly in their twenties either. And he REALLY didn't want to think about how Jacques and Marie came to be parents so constantly.

So he learned to charm the girls. He learned to smile at them in a way that made them blush and stutter and giggle shyly. Even the ones that had betrothed or newly married that should no longer blush at a man's attention. He complimented them, even when he didn't mean it, he asked if they lost weight or if their baby was healthy. He learned to act well enough so that his eyes held unspoken promises as he flattered them into paying more than what the hats were worth so that he could help feed himself and the family that he was supporting.

But it came with a price though. Sometimes he would go to the back alleyway to dispose of bits and pieces of fabric they couldn't use anymore and find the jealous betrothed or husband's waiting for him. Jacques did his best to keep most of them at bay but more often than thought, Jefferson's face ended up cut and swollen as were his hands when he tried to defend himself.

The older children he shared the house with also envied him. The thing about Jacques was that he never treated Jefferson like a son. He treated him like a student and a partner and this was the only time in his life when he didn't mind that. It made him feel important and he took a LOT of pride in the fact that Jacques would be doing a little worse without him there to con the female population into spending more than what their business was worth. Under normal circumstances, Jefferson was content with the arrangement. He was important and he got fed, clothed, and had a bed to sleep in. It was fine by him that he wasn't 'family'.

However, from the way the older children taunted him, it was something to be ashamed of. They worked in the store but they weren't as valuable as Jefferson was. They couldn't spot the differences between different shades of the same color; they didn't know the different fabrics from this world and others that people brought in. They envied him, and he knew it and it was just words but they still cut deeply.

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Jefferson was making a bright green top hat when Jacques came into the room and placed eight silvers on the table in front of him.

Jefferson tensed and he looked at his mentor. He knew something was wrong. Jacques had been quiet all day and had only given him this job to do, which was unusual for spring was about to begin and he was about to get a lot of work dropped in his lap, "What is this?"

Jacques braced himself against Jefferson's worktable, "It's a parting gift."

Jefferson stopped, the bright red feather that he was about to sew on tickled his hand but he ignored it and looked at Jacques, "Have I displeased you?"

"You haven't," Jacques said, "You are the best apprentice I've ever had."

"I don't understand," Jefferson said. His heart began hammering in his chest as he looked the unknown right in the face. He didn't want to leave, he'd beg the man if he had to. He was fifteen now…there were still things of the shop and the world that Jacques hadn't taught him yet.

"You've learned all you can from me," Jacques told him, his voice was heavy with emotion and it was all Jefferson could do to blink back the tears when he saw the man's own grief. It'd been several years since Jefferson cried last. He wasn't about to now, "It's time you moved on and staked your claim somewhere that's yours."

"I know nothing about running a store."

"I thought so too when my father gave this store to me," he promised him, "I had learned more than I thought I did."

"But-."

Jacques held his hand up and Jefferson knew better than to argue. He lowered his eyes in respect and winced as the man clapped two large hands on his shoulders. That was all Jefferson needed to know about how much Jacques had come to care for him.

"May I ask you one thing, sir?" Jefferson asked.

"Anything, Jefferson."

"Before I go, might I make a hat of my own? I'll pay for it if that's an issue-."

Jacques held up his hand, "No. There will be no need. You may make your hat. With anything you wish to use in the shop."

That was all Jefferson needed to hear.

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That night he sat on the floor in the corner his room for the final time and looked at the finished product in front of him.

Dinner was awkward. The older children had victorious looks on their faces when it was announced that he was leaving as soon as the morning broke. Jefferson wanted to fling food at them since it was his last day but he didn't dare. He didn't want Jacques slapping him upside the head like he'd threatened to do so many times.

Marie wouldn't stop crying though. And the younger children who had looked at his face since they were born started howling along with her once they realized that Jefferson would probably not return.

He was grateful to sit in the corner of his room after it was all over and memorize the details of the closet that they'd converted for him after Marie had gotten pregnant with child seven. There wasn't much to memorize but his eyes travelled over it anyway in case he missed something.

He really didn't want to leave here.

He looked down at the black silk hat that he made. It was a top hat, larger than anything anyone had ever ordered him to make. The only reason it wasn't bigger was because he had used the best silk for it and it would feel like he was cheating his employer to use more than what he had.

Besides, he was certain that it was going to collapse under its own majesty and he didn't even know if this would fit on his head properly without falling on his shoulders.

He sighed; Jacques didn't understand why he needed to make it as large as he had. Jefferson wanted to advertise his skill and bring attention to himself. He had learned long ago that a man's importance often hinged on appearance and since he had plenty of nice things to look at on himself if the ladies were any judge, he made the largest most expensive hat he could to complete his unique eccentric look. Leather pants and a vest and long coat to look adventurous and dashing for the women, a cravat, Silk shirt, and top hat to make himself look professional…he was the whole package in what someone could want working for them right there.

He tried to sleep but he couldn't…the unknown both scared and excited him. Jacques had given him directions to a different city where 'skill and taste were needed'. Did Jefferson go there or did he go seek out Rumpelstiltskin? He hadn't seen the imp since he was ten years old and to be honest, Jefferson had given up any hope that he would be important or harbor magic a long time ago. And he had the feeling that the imp wasn't exactly someone you went to seek, he went to seek you if you were needed.

Jefferson gave an exaggerated sigh and spun the hat on the floor. Probably not a good idea to mess up the silk but he was bored.

And then something happened that Jefferson didn't understand.

Wind picked up in the room. The hat started spinning faster and faster and Jefferson stumbled up as the hat seemed to grow and purple smoke filled the room.

He watched, paralyzed in the corner as the wind blew things around the room and after what seemed like an eternity, the hat…sort of shrank back to its normal size and stopped moving.

The door to his room flew open and he looked up as Jacques came in, "Why were you leaning against the door?"

Jefferson shook his head, "I wasn't."

"What's going on?" Marie asked, Jefferson could see that her stomach was starting to swell with yet another child. Oh gods, didn't those two ever sleep?

Jefferson cleared his throat and realization dawned on him.

He didn't lose the magic some time ago. He still had it. Like Rumpelstiltskin said, it was just contained.

"Can you two point me to Rumpelstiltskin's castle in the morning?"


	9. Chapter 9

It was a two day walk to Rumpelstiltskin's castle. Jefferson left the house in the morning with a bag containing all the goods he had in this world and some money.

And his hat…which was going to make him rich.

He hadn't slept last night. All the possibilities went through his head at what he was going to do. If he could go to different worlds….people would pay him to access them. He didn't have to be the little orphan boy that competed with other children to be at the top of his class. He didn't have to be the young man that worked his fingers to the bone and bend over backwards to please others; some of which could never be satisfied.

It had occurred to him when he left the city that morning that he had never been on his own before. At the orphanage, the school, and at the hatter's home, he had someone watching out for him. It might've been miserable and he was hated sometimes, especially the orphanage but this was the first time that he had only himself to rely on without depending on others to fulfill some of his needs.

And to think of it like that…it made everything unknown and exciting but also terrifying at the same time.

The first night, he spent it far enough in the woods so that no one could see him from the road. He had enough money to feed a family for a month and he'd heard stories about how people were beaten and stripped on the road. He couldn't afford for his hat to become damaged or stolen.

Sleeping on the ground was horrid, he barely got any sleep and when he did finally doze off, he was awakened the next morning and he was so stiff that he could hardly move. Walking was agonizing and he was so tired by the second day that he hid his hat and money in a shrub and just passed out in a ditch that he prayed was hidden.

He slept longer that night but he didn't feel any more rested by the time he was standing at Rumpelstiltskin's gates, looking into the garden that welcomed all of those that came to him in desperation and greed.

Jefferson wondered if he did his own weeding.

"Well well," he heard the taunting voice above him and found Rumpelstiltskin had conjured himself to sit on top of the wall, his legs dangled off and he swung them contently as if he were a child, "I was wondering when you would show up."

Jefferson didn't fear him like the others did; it was hard to fear the man that gave you toys to entertain you and critiqued your school progress and sent you sweets every year. Jefferson didn't care how dark he was

Jefferson smirked, "Better late than never."

Rumpelstiltskin looked at him with a tilted gaze, "What are you wearing on your head?"

Jefferson took off his hat and faked a bit of a bow, "The reason you took such an interest in me."

"Ooo," Rumpelstiltskin crooned and rematerialized in front of Jefferson, "Let's have a look, then!"

Jefferson looked in distaste around him, "Right here?"

"Anywhere else, dearie?"

"This hat was expensive!" he said in annoyance. He gave gave gave, and sometimes he thought Rumpelstiltskin just took took took, "It'll get dirty out here! I'd rather it be inside! Preferably inside; with food, and a nice warm bath and a comfortable bed to curl up in after I show you my power."

"No, that's not going to be how this works. You show me what that little hat can do and THEN I might let you eat in the house and sleep in one of the guest rooms."

The thing about Rumpelstiltskin was that he was good at his job. Even though Jefferson had something Rumpelstiltskin wanted, the imp made it seem like Jefferson had no power or say in how this was going to go. But Jefferson was no fool, he knew that only he seemed to have something Rumpelstiltskin desperately wanted and he wasn't going to let himself become intimidated, "I'm not sleeping in your dungeon."

Rumpelstiltskin pouted. As if Jefferson was naïve enough to fall for that trick!

"Very well, you shall have the chambers of the lady of the castle."

Jefferson felt very insulted, "What?"

Rumpelstiltskin shrugged, "Other dark ones had mistresses and wives."

Jefferson didn't fancy the indication of being either one of those, "Well why do I get that room?"

"Only furnished room other than mine," Rumpelstiltskin smirked. Oh, just because Rumpelstiltskin knew Jefferson had some power didn't mean he was going to make this enjoyable for him.

"You're the dark one!" Jefferson protested, "Wave your hand and add another room.

"Don't want to," he said and waved his hand flippantly, "IT would encourage house guests."

They reached the front room of the castle. A cold insipid room with a table and a large bouquet of roses in the middle of it to add some color. Jefferson wondered where all the staircases went.

"I'm not getting any younger dearie," Rumpelstiltskin said, impatience edging into his singsong voice.

Jefferson rolled his eyes and threw the hat down with a twirl so that it spun when it landed. Rumpelstiltskin's eyes lit up like a child's when a purple smoke filled the room and the hat started spinning.

Without fear, Rumpelstiltskin jumped in and Jefferson did the same. He didn't know what to expect going into the hat, he hadn't exactly done this before. He had figured that whatever was down there, it was far better to try it first with a powerful imp than by himself.

Rumpelstiltskin landed perfectly. Jefferson hit the ground feet first he fell flat on his face.

Rumpelstiltskin just watched him with an annoyed look. Well not everyone had magic that allowed them to float gracefully down.

He found himself in a large circular room with a marble floor, brown wooden walls and a large red curtain that covered most of the room.

There were also 24 doors that he guessed were portals connected to different worlds…

It was then that Jefferson realized just how important he really was. What kind of power that he could wield if he chose to. He wasn't just an everyday true love baby, he had power now. He could do anything, go anywhere, he was important now and he was finally starting to understand just what that meant.

But Jefferson knew that there had better be a payment with his services, "You promised me a family once."

"I promised you that I would try to find one."

"I suggest you turn that 'try' into a certainty if you want to use my services," Jefferson said with an arrogant smirk. Rumpelstiltskin may run wild while he was here, but Jefferson didn't have to bring him along again.

"Very well," Rumpelstiltskin put a finger to his lips in faux thought, "When you're old enough, I shall secure you a wife."

"And how old is old enough?" Jefferson demanded. If there was one thing that he wasn't going to allow, it was going to be Rumpelstiltskin using vagueness to get loopholes.

"When I've decided that you're ready to start a family, don't worry though child, you won't be like…in your late 30's or anything. You'll have a wife and you'll father children who love you…which is far easier than putting you with parents and hoping for the best, yes?"

"And what if I don't like the woman you've picked to be my spouse?"

"You will," he said as if they were talking about the weather, "I'm a fan of true love, dearie. I'll find you a woman that will put up with you. But if you wish me to clarify…you and she will have choices. IT's not like I'll throw you at the altar and that's that."

"And will she love me?" Jefferson asked, "Will she stay faithful."

"Trust me boy, I wouldn't give you a wife that would leave you the minute someone they thought was better came along."

Jefferson still didn't trust he and he didn't want to commit to a deal that could backfire on him and he was stuck, "We'll see."

Rumpelstiltskin seemed pleased with that at least. And why shouldn't he be? He might not even have to find Jefferson a family but Jefferson wasn't so willing to just forget their original deal. He would bring it up again when he felt HE was ready to take a wife. Hopefully not for a few years yet, he was still only fourteen after all. He didn't even want to think about marrying but if it was the only family he could hope to get then he may have to accept it.

But he didn't want to think about that today. No, he wanted to explore.

"Which world shall we go to first?" he asked.

And Rumpelstiltskin gave him such a mischievous smirk that Jefferson knew they were going to be using each other for a very very long time.

Well, at least the would be friends.


	10. Chapter 10

There was no color, it made no sense.

Everywhere he looked there was nothing but black and white with lots of grey shades.

Even Rumpelstiltskin was confused. He hadn't picked this world for any reason, he just closed his eyes, spun around and pointed and that was the world they went into.

Rumpelstiltskin turned a tree into a rock and the purple smoke was the only thing of color. Well, it was the only thing that had another color besides them, but Rumpelstiltskin was the dark one and Jefferson was a baby made of true love so they were sort of enchanted.

But the rock stayed colorless, it wasn't enchanted, there were no magical properties…it was just there.

"What do they call the greenery here?" Jefferson asked.

"I don't know," Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"Do they even have colors?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think that maybe they can see the colors in our world and we can't?"

"I don't know!" Rumpelstiltskin said finally getting frustrated.

A wolf howled and Jefferson felt their hair on the back of his neck stand up. Rumpelstiltskin noticed his unease and gave him an arrogant look as if to mock him for growing up in cities all his life.

And probably for not being magical but that wasn't his fault. Jefferson gave him a mocking look back. For all the power in the world, Jefferson was still very much needed for his plans which made Jefferson incredibly important.

They walked on the road for a bit and came on a cemetery.

How welcoming.

"Is everyone going to come through my portal?" he asked.

"No," Rumpelstiltskin said and looked around, "Every portal opening is different"

"Oh, so then why aren't there portals all over the place?"

"Because portal jumpers are extremely rare," Rumpelstiltskin said and narrowed his eyes as if he was looking at something in the cemetery, "And only portal jumpers and those wielding magic can see them."

"What if I jump in someone else's portal?"

"You'll still end up in the circular room."

"So then why bother having different portals for portal jumpers at all?" Jefferson asked, "Magic is so confusing…"

"What…" Rumpelstiltskin narrowed his eyes, "…is that?"

Jefferson turned around and saw immediately what he was looking at. That was…barbaric, "I may just be a simple fourteen year old but…aren't you supposed to stick your dead IN the ground instead of taking them out?"

"Perhaps it's their culture," Rumpelstiltskin muttered and walked forward, "I haven't been to this world yet."

"Barbarians," Jefferson sniffed and followed him as Rumpelstiltskin walked boldly up to the two people that were struggling with a coffin. Jefferson trailed behind him, genuinely curious at what was going on.

The leader of the men saw both of them and his eyes grew. He raised a shovel to defend himself when he saw Rumpelstiltskin's face, "Demon!"

Rumpelstiltskin shrugged, as if he didn't care, "Do you think that shovel would hurt me? What are you doing?"

"We'll put him back!" the second man said.

"I care little about where you put him," Rumpelstiltskin said flippantly, "I'm just curious at what you're doing."

"Who are you?" the leader demanded.

Rumpelstiltskin spread his arms and gave a sweeping bow, "Rumpelstiltskin."

The leader seemed unfazed, "The little man who tried to steal the miller daughter's baby?"

Rumpelstiltskin gave him an annoyed look, "Is that all you lot have heard about me?"

The second man stared at Jefferson, "And who's the boy?"

Boy?

Jefferson stood straighter, so that he could look taller and hopefully older, "Who are YOU?!"

The leader barely glanced at him, but focused on the imp in front of Jefferson, "Victor Frankenstein."

"And what are you doing with the dead?"

"I'm going to bring them to life."

"That's impossible," Rumpelstiltskin said.

Victor smiled arrogantly, "Perhaps for you."

Jefferson expected him to die for that but instead it got Rumpelstiltskin to giggle with unabashed glee.

"Quite the confidant one, aren't you?"

Victor didn't smile, "I'm going to use science to create life."

"And how are you going to do that, dearie? I'd very much like to hear how you hope to achieve something that neither good magic nor bad magic can do."

The second man looked at his friend, "We'll get caught out here."

"I have a house," Victor said to them, "It looks like it's going to rain anyway."

Jefferson looked up; how could he tell?

"If you help me load this coffin up into my carriage then I'll tell you how I plan to do what you say you can't."

Jefferson rolled his eyes, he was a crazy man telling a funny little story but Rumpelstiltskin was intrigued.

"Very well," he waved his hand and the coffin went from the ground to the nearby wagon. He waved his hand again and the wagon started moving forward on its own.

"Now let's hear about this task you're trying to undertake."

Jefferson rolled his eyes when everyone's back was turned and no one could see him.

What kind of a name was Frankenstein anyway?


	11. Chapter 11

Frankenstein's house was certainly no castle, so Jefferson didn't really understand why he seemed to be prideful in the lodgings. Yes, there were little gadgets and technologies in his home that would've been fascinating for some, but Jefferson refused to be impressed. After all, what good did this…clock…do? Was it a portal that could connect worlds? No. No, it wasn't. It just told the time. Big deal. You could look at the direction of the sun or the moon for that. Or just…go about your day not worrying.

Perhaps the bother of doing so was just too much.

Lack of a lot of magic, the technological advances, no wonder this crazy person was so bored he was digging up the dead.

"I am interested in your work," Rumpelstiltskin said and pushed the tips of his fingers together when they sat down. Jefferson stared up at the fixtures above him that emitted unnatural light. Now he had to admit that THAT could be useful; if anything it would save on lantern oil and maybe so many houses wouldn't burn down…

"Why do you want to bring back the dead, anyway?" Jefferson asked.

"I'm _creating life," _Frankenstein said.

"From the dead," Jefferson countered, "I mean, that's disgusting…aren't their insides all rotted and…_dead _here? Or do you dig them up fresh? And what happens if you give them life? Do they take on a new identity? Or does the soul of those bodies get sucked back in from the afterlife? Is it all the souls or just one? Which one then?"

"So small minded," Frankenstein chided, and made Jefferson angry. He happened to think that these were good points! Jefferson looked toward Rumpelstiltskin for support but Rumpelstiltskin kept his face inexpressive. That made Jefferson even more irritated. Say goodbye to _his _ride home. Jefferson would much rather take the dead man with him. At least then he'd get a proper burial.

"I'd like to see your laboratory," Rumpelstiltskin said.

"Sorry," Frankenstein said, "That's private."

"Well dearie, I imagine that if we can enter into a business agreement that first I want to see your set up."

Frankenstein paled, "What on earth did you just call me?"

Jefferson smirked, "Oh don't mind him, he does that with everyone."

Frankenstein hardly paid attention to him, "And who says that I'd be interested to enter into a business deal with you anyway? You have nothing I want."

That amused Rumpelstiltskin, "Well don't be so sure about that, dearie."

"I don't need magic to solve my dilemma; I'm going to use it with science, which is something that you can't offer me."

"Well if science was the only way to bring someone back then why hasn't it been done yet?" Jefferson asked.

"You've already told me that your magic can't revive someone, so why should I be interested in what you have to offer?"

"Well, maybe it takes both?" Rumpelstiltskin suggested.

Frankenstein's eyes darkened and he shook his head, "Even if it were possible, I wouldn't make a deal with you. I know your story, remember? I'm not sure I'm willing to pay a price such as that."

Rumpelstiltskin looked both insulted and then amused and he crossed his legs, "Oh, word gets out that you negotiate fairly for one firstborn and you never live it down."

Rumpel stood up and Jefferson followed. Frankenstein looked arrogantly proud, as if he'd just won.

"I do imagine you'll see it my way one day, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin said and giggled gleefully as it made Frankenstein uncomfortable.

Jefferson smirked as well, because he knew that Rumpelstiltskin wasn't interested in things he couldn't deal for but when they got outside, Jefferson remembered that he was jealous of his father figure paying attention to someone else and he walked to him ready to have words.

"Bringing back the dead," Rumpelstiltskin said thoughtfully, "Entertaining thought, isn't it?"

"Perhaps, but it's not possible," Jefferson reminded him, "You told me so."

"Perhaps not with just my magic," he said with a wave of his hand, "Perhaps with both our knowledge, it could be done."

"Well what difference would it make?" Jefferson asked and threw the hat on the ground to take them home, "What could the dead get us?"

"Oh Jefferson," Rumpelstiltskin said almost condescendingly as the hat grew the magic swirled around them, "Even the hope of reviving the dead could fetch us a large sum of money."

"He didn't even want your help."

"He will," Rumpelstiltskin said as they prepared to jump, "One day."


	12. Chapter 12

Jefferson turned his hat portal into a lucrative business. It turned out that there were all kinds of things to be had in the 23 other worlds that the Enchanted Forest population wanted. And there were things from the enchanted forest that others in the 23 other worlds wanted too. And then there things in other worlds that people from other worlds wanted.

He was a guide to other worlds by the time he was 16. He thought of himself as a businessman with a flair for style who could get any goods that were demanded of him. When he wasn't acquisitioning or outright stealing items for trade, he was using his gift to lead others into the worlds where they could learn or vacation or settle old debts toward those that had wronged them and escaped into these worlds' years before.

It made no difference to Jefferson, the goals of these people. It was probably horrible to say, but as long as he got paid then what they did was their business. He just brought them there. It wasn't his care what they did with that privilege. They'd just find another portal jumper to take them and he'd lose good money.

Besides, he saw how humanity treated each other. He'd seen it in every world with how they treated their so called loved ones and strangers. He'd given up on it all a long time ago. He was out for himself and that was alright. At the end of the day, everyone was. He just admitted it more freely than what was socially acceptable.

Rumpelstiltskin paid him especially well and when he was sixteen, he could afford a house on the richer side of a prestigious town.

Well he could afford it when he was fifteen thanks to the amount Rumpelstiltskin paid him but Jefferson was reluctant to set out from the Dark Castle. He enjoyed the imp's company and (Probably unfortunately) felt like the imp was the only one that truly understood him. They took each other's eccentricities in stride and there was an unspoken agreement that a backstabbing might come from one of them one day but until that happened they would be the closest thing to friends that men like them could be.

So he bought a house. It was glorious expensive house with a huge yard and in the back was the forest and inside there were dark stone walls and a marble floor with a grand staircase at the entrance that led to the bedrooms and he got the biggest one since he was the master of the house. And he could decorate it according to how he wanted, which he'd never gotten to do. Even when he had his own room at Rumpelstiltskin's castle (Not the one where the wives or mistresses were kept, thank gods), Rumpelstiltskin would glare at him and redo anything Jefferson tried to move around.

He kept five servants on hand. A cook named Louie that he'd convinced to come with him from some kingdom by the sea, the head butler by the name of Peter who Jefferson relied on to run the house while he was away, Peter's wife Annabelle who was the head housekeeper, their ten year old daughter Ayna who did mostly errands and cleaning, a gardener named James and a carriage driver named Johann.

And then came the problem that he always seemed to face. He was secure and he was well off but it…didn't feel like enough. He couldn't fit into the society that he'd surrounded himself with. He hadn't grown up rich like most here had, he hadn't acquired it by hard work either. He was just different and they noticed. Everyone always had and other than a friendly invitation every now and again to attend some party or a greeting on the street or a job that needed doing, he was ignored.

Even his outer appearance stood out. The men there practically wore dresses over their pants and called them 'robes' to show how rich they were. Poor people needed range so they could work but apparently covering your legs in this side of town meant that you were well off and didn't have to work. Jefferson preferred to wear long coats and pants. His job required that he have range and well…he was never much a fan of velvets and satins. He liked leathers and silks much like his teacher did. For him, they were restricting but comfortable and they made him stand out and look remarkable.

And if they didn't ignore him on appearance alone, he knew that his social life had a lot to be desired. He was a loner by early nurture, and cared little about the games that the upper society played in which they pretended to care but loathed each other. He also ignored the invitations to court several eligible young ladies. He was a man that travelled much and had seen many things and made enemies along the way. Some of them being in the same town he lived in. Sometimes he had to fight to get himself and a client back through the portal and when he started coming home injured was when those invitations came to a crawl and then to a stop. No one wanted their daughter to court and marry a man who went on dangerous jobs. They were too young to be widows.

Or else they found out he was acquaintances with Rumpelstiltskin which was also just as likely.

He didn't mind the practical shunning. In fact, he welcomed it. They still needed him when they wanted something and he still got paid. Otherwise they didn't bother him and he couldn't be happier. He much preferred the company of his servants who he took his meals with downstairs. He looked to Peter and Annabelle for advice and saw them as role models for how a happy marriage should be. Of course he'd had the hatter and his wife before but he was at an age where he couldn't really understand things and now that he was older, he could. He enjoyed his time with them, even Ayna, who seemed to think she was in love with him had become a bit of his family.

For three years, he built up his reputation. By the time he was 19, he had a house either bought or built in every land that he had access to. Barely anyone ran those though. He visited most of them frequently enough that he could run the houses himself. Anyway, they were just shelters for him to wait out the job if waiting was required.

And then, on his last day of being 19 years old, he collapsed into bed and pulled the covers over his head. It had been a rough journey. His client had INSISTED on going to Oz but he died of a heart attack as soon as soon as the trees talked to him. (Rumpelstiltskin was secretly terrified of those things too. When he went to get an apple, one of them backhanded him.) And not only was it pouring rain but he had to drag the man's body back to get through the portal and he was fighting flying monkeys as well. He was sore, he was cold, and he just wanted to go to sleep.

"Not paying a visit, dearie?"

Jefferson jumped at the sound of the voice and reached for the knife under the pillow. The flames on the lanterns came to life and he saw Rumpelstiltskin sitting on the chair opposite of the room with a book in his hand.

Jefferson squinted his eyes. Oh, he just wanted to go to bed! "Hm?"

"Well tomorrow's your birthday, dearie! We usually spend your birthday together."

Jefferson tried to remember…was his birthday tomorrow? Or at least the day that he had picked out FOR his birthday? He didn't know, time passed differently between all the worlds. Some were faster, some were slower, "It is?"

Rumpelstiltskin gave an exaggerated eye roll, "Where are my manners, I didn't get you anything!"

"I think I know where this is going," Jefferson muttered.

"How would you like a job?"

"I just got BACK from a job!" he said, "I didn't get paid!"

"Well, Oz is such an experience that it pays for itself."

Jefferson wished that tree had slapped him harder when they first went three years ago, "Tell me what it is and I'll think about it."

"There's a monster I have to create…unfortunately she's holding back and I hardly have time to wait for what's going to inevitably come in time."

"Can't you just go and find a monster? There are plenty out there."

"Yes, but none of them have the set up that I need as well as this woman has."

"And what is it that you want me to do?"

"I need you to go get Victor Frankenstein."

"Oh no," Jefferson groaned. They'd had a few more meetings since the initial one. And while Jefferson…tolerated him a little better, the man still had a God complex that almost made Rumpelstiltskin look tame in comparison. Jefferson would shudder to think about what would happen to him if he was as condescending to his teacher as Victor was to Rumpelstiltskin.

"He needs a heart for his brother. I just need you to put on a show for our Queen Regina. Break her spirit a little, and take him back home."

"And what's in it for me?"

"Well, anything you want dearie. The payout for this one will exceed anything you've ever gotten."

What did he need with more money when he had plenty of that? "No."

Rumpelstiltskin blinked, "Excuse me?"

"I don't want money."

"What do you want then?"

Maybe Jefferson was tired and that's why he thought it up. He was honestly…bored with everything he had. He wanted to try something different, he wanted to try something new. He was still a bit lonely even with his servants surrounding him. At the end of the day they were still his servants and he was their master. He craved companionship; he still craved that family that he'd been begging Rumpelstiltskin for since he was five. He was tired of going to bed alone…well sure he'd had women before but that wasn't the same as just having one to spend the rest of your life with…to have one person to trust like Peter did Annabelle and several others in this town did to their wives (Except unlike most of them, he wanted to actually love her.)

And Rumpelstiltskin was a big fan of true love, so…

"I want a companion," he told him.

Rumpelstiltskin giggled, "Why don't you just say you want a wife, dearie?"

"It seems wrong to buy a wife for corrupting another woman," Jefferson muttered.

"Even though that's what you're doing," Rumpelstiltskin pointed out and put a finger to his lips thoughtfully, "I think I might know someone who might be available."

"I want her to want me as a husband," Jefferson said quickly, "Not like she was forced or manipulated into it."

"The lady I have in mind has been looking for a husband for a while dearie, I think she'd come to like the specimen I picked out for her."

"Would she accept my work?"

"Chances are that she'll end up needing your hat too, you two can team up."

Jefferson looked at him reluctantly, "Would she love me?"

"Of course she would dearie! Only the best for the boy I practically raised! It might take some time and hard work though. I imagine you'll have to learn to love her the way you expect her to love you but no one said marriage was easy."

He said that in a way that made Jefferson think he had experience in the matter. He didn't push Rumpelstiltskin to give him any information though. Rumpelstiltskin's past was something best left buried.

"Oh, but there is one thing," Rumpelstiltskin said, "I'll give you the finer details on what you and Victor are supposed to do once we've acquired him but if you're serious about me finding you a wife then she's going to need something from you."

"And what's that?"

"Well, she's made enemies as well and a royal passport surely wouldn't come amiss. If you can get that from the queen then…I can talk her into at least coming to view you so to speak. She has to have a choice in this as well as you pointed out. And if she refuses then I imagine we can find someone else."

Not the most noble way to get a wife but he trusted Rumpelstiltskin to do right since Jefferson had done everything Rumpelstiltskin had ever asked him to and more, "Deal."

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Regina was…many things. She had a presence that he noticed, she was attractive and she was desperate…

…but she clearly wasn't smart.

Jefferson only counted himself a good actor when he was flirting. He was a lot more direct with men about what the price of what they wanted would be, but when it came to women, he had learned how to play them to get what he wanted.

But it was a lot harder to do when the woman did not want to be flirted with. He tried with Regina…he'd failed spectacularly when he realized that she was still in love with her dead boyfriend that she kept preserved in a glass case (Disgusting. No wonder Victor nearly wet himself in glee; the grave robbing butcher) then he faltered and he thought several times that she saw through the act.

Well she was either too hopeful, too brokenhearted, or too stupid to see any of the small looks he gave her to see if she was buying it and she seemed to ignore the fact that Victor was practically reading lines that he'd written on his arm in order to fool her.

Rumpelstiltskin had told her that bringing back her boyfriend was impossible, and they made a spectacular show of proving him right. Somehow that corrupted her. Jefferson wasn't going to question it because like with all his other clients, it wasn't his job to question. Maybe she wasn't all that stable in the first place.

Oh well, it wasn't Jefferson's place. He's done his job, he'd gotten his royal passport and as soon as Regina had become corrupted and he took the arrogant body butcher Frankenstein back home and then returned, Rumpelstiltskin had appeared to him and told him to wear his best clothes.

For tomorrow he met his wife.

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The autumn was a warm one and Jefferson was certain that this day was the hottest one he'd experienced for months. Even the cooler confines are the Dark Castle seemed sticky and he'd had to slip out of his leather long coat just to be able to breathe.

"Well, well, well, dearie," he heard the signature high pitched voice of Rumpelstiltskin echo off the walls as he came into the room, "It took you long enough, I was waiting for hours!"

"Sorry," he said and fanned himself with his portal just for some circulation in the room, "Not everyone can jump from one location to another with the drop of a hat. Well…I could but not in two different spots of the same world."

"Yes, yes, yes," Rumpelstiltskin waved him off with his hand, "There's no need to remind me every time, I know how you work."

Jefferson didn't have the patience for this, he wanted to get down the mountain where a nice cool bath waited for him and since there wasn't a potential fiancé in sight.., "I know you probably want me to run off to find some portal for you but if you recall, I haven't even gotten paid for the last job you had me do."

"Actually, that's why you're here," he said dismissively, "You asked me to find you a bride willing to travel worlds with you as payment of creating my monster for me and as I told you before I had a potential lady in mind."

Jefferson tensed, these deals usually came with a baseball bat attached and Jefferson worried that he'd somehow missed a contingency when they were going over the negotiations for the deal they'd conducted.

Rumpelstiltskin signaled to someone in the hallway behind him and brought her in. The first thing Jefferson noticed was the hard blue eyes and a stone face. Her blonde hair was pulled in a braid that was tucked behind the vest that she wore. Her pants, shirt, and vest gave away no femininity.

She was a warrior before she was a woman.

"Karenina Van Helsing, hunter of monsters meet your…possible new betrothed," Rumpelstiltskin put an arm around her and gestured to Jefferson, "Jefferson; hatter, portal jumper, and the only man that can do what he does with a royal passport that'll get him into areas of the 24 known magical worlds that you could never hope to see, my dear."

Jefferson stared at her as she studied him. Well, she was a hunter, which meant that she could take care of herself and he wouldn't have to worry about his enemies harming her. She was a hunter of monsters, which meant that she needed him and his ability to get around to do her job and so she would accept his work.

When neither one said anything, Rumpelstiltskin practically bounced on his heels, "Bit shy are we? I find that to be a bit disappointing, the two of you are usually FAR brasher than this."

The girl looked him over one last time, her thoughts hidden with a mask of no emotion and she looked at Rumpelstiltskin, "He'll do."

Jefferson didn't know why, but there was a part of him that felt insulted even though he knew that he was inspecting her as much as she was inspecting him.

It was then that he noticed the scars. She'd seen some vicious battles. One ran down her cheek, another ran diagonally from her nose to her top lip…but the worst one was a large jagged scar that ran along her jugular. She'd probably only survived that one out of sheer luck

Or the imp that stood between them.

Could it be that this woman was as broken as he was?

He was aware that the imp was watching _him _now. The woman…_Karenina_ he believed the imp had said had fixed her eyes on the ground at his feet. She knew he'd seen her scars; she was just waiting for the rejection to come…

"I think we can work something out," Jefferson said. The words were out of his mouth before he could consider if this was what he really wanted or not. Did he want her or was he just trying to find a way to alleviate the boredom and loneliness.

Karenina looked up when he accepted the offer. Surprise crossed her face and she looked at Rumpelstiltskin and then at him. She had expected him to send her away it seemed. The idea that he would do so filled him with a bit of shame when he saw the same look in her eyes that haunted his sometimes.

"Wonderful," Rumpelstiltskin practically squealed at proposal that felt more like a business arrangement, "Well, let's not get in the way of true love dearies, we have a wedding to plan!"

Jefferson looked at his new…betrothed and saw the blush creep in her cheek as she subconsciously pulled the collar of her vest over the scar and then looked at him. He could see the doubt in her eyes now that the Imp was out of the room, "You agreed."

He tried to put of a cavalier attitude to flirt with her, "Don't blame me, you said that you wanted me first."

He held out his elbow and she took it but they kept a bit of a distance between them.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked as he led her to the carriage that was waiting.

"I'm not sure about anything," he replied and held the door open for him. He did have SOME manners after all, "Never have been. I'm not much of a fan of certainty."

"So, you're not certain that our little partnership will work out right in the end?"

"Oh absolutely not my dear. True love is for children who believe that fairy dust will solve all their problems."

She looked at him again and he wondered if perhaps he'd said the wrong thing.

"Good," she said at length, "You aren't living in a delusion. I think you and I shall more than likely get along."

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Karenina said nothing to him as they made the arduous journey from the dark castle to the village where the inn was waiting

It was going a lot slower than what he thought it should be and he KNEW Rumpelstiltskin had done it on purpose. No carriage was this incredibly slow. He should've just ordered his driver to take him but Rumpelstiltskin terrified the man so now they were at the imp's mercy and his quip about how the 'two lovebirds should have some time to themselves' sort of gave away his intention to let them get to know each other.

It hadn't really worked.

She watched him, and when he looked at her she turned away and looked out the window.

"You should have a ring," he said finally. It was only fitting that the groom gives his bride-to-be a wedding band. He couldn't really say that he had one on him; it wasn't something that he carried around. He'd looked but he couldn't find the right one if he didn't know the girl Rumpelstiltskin wanted him to pair up with.

"My work wouldn't allow me to wear one," she told him quietly.

He kept a ring on his index finger and one on his ring finger. Without hesitating, he slipped the one off his index finger and held it out for her, "You don't have to wear it, but you should have one anyway."

She reluctantly accepted it and tried it on her ring finger. It was too big but she placed it on her thumb.

"There," he said and looked at her with a smile, "Now none of your enemies will know that you're taken. You can just wear it there."

She gave an amused smile, "And what about you?"

He moved his ring from his right hand to his left, "I'll wear it. The other women wont' leave me alone if I don't and you don't seem to be the kind to tolerate competition."

She frowned, "I'm not sure I know how to be a good wife. I imagine you'll grow tired of me and seek out someone else."

"No I won't," he promised. He was normally better at this flirting thing, why was he tripping over his words? "And you don't have to worry about being a good enough wife. I'm not sure I know how to be a good husband. I've only ever seen two in my lifetime. So I suppose that's another reason why Rumpelstiltskin felt we were well matched. Neither of us knows what to do"

She smiled slightly but watched him through careful eyes, "You should also know that it may be impossible for me to have children."

He tilted his head, "Why not?"

"I was injured during a fight…and it might not be possible."

He shrugged, wanting children or not wanting them wasn't part of why he wanted a companion. Well sure he wanted children one day but if she couldn't give them to him then it wouldn't be a deal breaker, "That's alright I suppose. If it happens it happens, if it doesn't…well…I don't really see us as parents anyway but stranger things have been known to occur."

She looked at the ring on her thumb, and then reached across the carriage and kissed his cheek.

He hadn't realized that small acceptance had been that important, but he could see several reasons why she hadn't been married yet because she didn't fit society's standards for what a woman should be. His acceptance of her must've been big in her mind.

But then again he didn't fit society either.

He felt like now that she shared something with him, he should share something with her as well. It was only fair.

"No one's ever loved me," he told her, it felt odd showing his vulnerable side this fast but she was about to be his wife. If he showed it to anyone then it would have to be her, "Not in the family love that most get. And I can be quite ruthless and self-serving and I may not know how to treat you all the time…so when I hurt you and I know that I will…I should tell you know that I am sorry because chances are, I won't realize it until after it's done."

She nodded, "Well…I suppose you and I will have a lot to work on then."

"I suppose so."

The carriage slowed down to a crawl and Jefferson looked out one of the open windows

They were arriving.

He looked at her, their little interaction made him feel a bit more confidant now, "How did you get involved with a monster if you hunt and kill monsters anyway?"

"I only fight monsters that I know I can kill," she told him, "I've yet to find a way to kill this Dark One of yours yet. So he hires me out to defeat other monsters for him and he pays me. Well at least until my brother who was also a portal jumper was killed when we were bringing him a vampire because he'd never seen one."

What in the name of the gods was a vampire?

"What about you?" she asked, "How did you get roped into this?"

"Corrupted someone."

"Is that a story I'll hear eventually?"

"Maybe someday, but it's quite boring," he said, he really didn't know how he'd stayed awake for any of it, "What's a vampire?"

She narrowed her eyes, "You've never been to the world without color?"

"Four times but it didn't impress me; I tend not to go to other worlds unless I get paid to."

The carriage pulled to a stop and he opened the door and climbed out, he held out his hand for his betrothed who accepted it and climbed down. When she walked beside him, he also noticed that she had a small limp but it wasn't that noticeable, "I think your dark one is more excited about this than we are."

"He's old," Jefferson told her, "If an event pulls him out of his daily routine of scaring people then he's always more excited about it than the actual participants."


	13. Chapter 13

The four hours that they were betrothed ended as soon as Jefferson and Karenina stood facing each other in front of the cleric.

Jefferson wondered how come the gods didn't strike down Rumpelstiltskin as they were making their vows to them but it was something that he didn't really want to delve into. If they'd done that then there wouldn't be a witness to the wedding.

Karenina didn't show any emotion as the cleric droned on about the sanctity of marriage and how it took work and one should not enter into it lightly.

So Jefferson took another look at his bride. Her hair was clean; it was pulled into a fancy braid that ran down her back. Rumpelstiltskin had taken her to the back room before he'd went to find a cleric and whatever adjustments he'd made had turned her almost pretty. Rumpelstiltskin had given her a white slinky embroidered dress with large hanging sleeves that fanned out from the elbows and extended just slightly passed the wrists. IT wasn't a fashion choice like those at his neighborhood would wear but He was sort of grateful for that. He didn't want to imagine his monster hunting wife walking around in a poufy wedding dress for the rest of his life. It just clashed with her personality.

Oh, was the cleric still talking? Even Rumpelstiltskin was tapping his boot impatiently and rolling his eyes.

He saw Karenina look at him out of the corner of his eye and then she looked away when he turned to get a better view. She kept peeking his way and then settling back on the cleric when he didn't take his bold gaze away.

She wasn't too bad to look at, but beauty wasn't what he was looking for in a wife, he just wanted companionship and hopefully Rumpelstiltskin granted him that.

"In my kingdom, there is legend of a cup. It has the power to grant eternal life. And so, may the love between you always be strong, true, and eternal."

He handed Karenina the cup and she took a sip of the chalice before handing it to him. He took a sip as well and slipped his hand against his new wife's face. He saw the inexpression give way to vulnerability and he saw a little bit of doubt and maybe some worry that he knew was the exact same kind that was churning inside his stomach.

He gently pulled her towards him and gave the chastest kiss that he had probably ever given a woman. She was tense at the show of affection but she returned the gesture slightly. He couldn't say he blamed her being uncomfortable. He took her hand and squeezed it to reassure her and when they pulled away, he still saw doubt in her eyes but not as much as there was before.

She didn't take his hand out of his.

The magic of the moment was ruined when Rumpelstiltskin giggled with glee.

"All without a hitch!" he said in a singsong voice and gave Jefferson a rather hard clap on the back. Jefferson stumbled forward and then watched as Rumpelstiltskin gave a rather…long hug to Karenina and kissed her on the cheek. He cupped her face and congratulated her…and she looked like she felt as comfortable with the gestures as Jefferson felt watching it.

"Well, I'm sure you two want to get an early start," he said and turned on his heel, "I'll be home in case you need anything. Feel free to use the carriage tomorrow if you wish. Be sure to make each other quite happy tonight, you know what they say about first impressions!"

Jefferson felt mortified even though he'd been known to make worse comments. Karenina's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her skull and she looked at him apprehensively. He quickly wrapped his arm around Karenina and ushered her out of the room. People were starting to watch in the front hall and he wanted to get away from their prying eyes.

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Jefferson was pretty sure that he didn't leave the room like this.

He was pretty sure that he hadn't had this much food set up on the table and he was CERTAINLY sure that he hadn't put any rose petals on the bed.

"Bloody Rumpelstiltskin," he muttered and saw that even his hat had rose petals in there. Now Jefferson was certain that Rumpelstiltskin was doing things like this to embarrass him.

"This was not my idea," he told her quickly.

She surveyed the room with exhausted resigned eyes. She shuffled her bare feet and used it to clear a path among the rose petals that led to the bed.

She brushed her hair over her shoulders to show him the back of her dress, "Just…unlace me please."

Jefferson had a bit of trouble working the gold laces. Why must women's clothes be so complicated? Eventually he was able to separate the back of her dress and exposed the white corset underneath

She was completely still as he looked at the scars on her back. He saw her muscles coil as if she was ready to strike as he gazed at the bare skin. Some scars were from arrows but he recognized several that were similar to his own that the master of the orphanage had given to him as a child. The same kind that stayed on someone long after the belt or whip was gone. He bore some of his own still, though they were faded with time.

He gently took his wife's shoulders and pressed his lips to one of the scars and then to her neck. He didn't care about such things as these. There was no need to be self-conscious about having physical proof that she was a survivor and he wanted to show her that he accepted her.

She drew in a sharp breath and he felt her pull away slightly at the gesture

And that was all he needed to know. She wasn't ready for where he had planned for this to lead and maybe that was better for both. He _should _get to know her first

He released her and moved away, "I've begun to untie your corset," he took off his coat and threw it on the nearest chair, "I'm going to take a bath..."

Jefferson waited until he was behind the curtain before he removed the rest of his clothes and sank in the cool water that he'd been hoping to get into several hours ago before Rumpelstiltskin decided to interfere on the day that he wanted to take off.

Could he do this really? Be a husband for this woman? He wasn't sure exactly what a husband was supposed to do but then again neither do most men when they were getting married. And some of them turned out fine. Some. Not all.

He was going to be one of the ones where it doesn't work out, he knew it. He didn't even know what he was thinking when he suggested that Rumpelstiltskin pay up on his promise to give him a family. He shouldn't expect any woman to follow through with this, he didn't care if she agreed to the terms; it wasn't right

He bathed, dried off and changed into a nightshirt and pants. He peeked out from behind the curtain to see that his wife had changed into a nightgown and was already in bed. Her back was facing him but her unsteady breathing meant that she was awake.

Probably waiting for him to see what he was going to do.

He dimmed the lanterns before he went to the bed and lay on top of the covers. It was far too warm to sleep under them. He was hoping for a freezing winter, he had enough money saved up to just spend it in the house…and now it looked like he was going to be spending the winter getting to know his new wife if they made it that far together.

He lay on his back and they were silent for a few minutes. He heard Karenina give a small sigh and turned to face him. When she was certain that he wasn't going to at least TRY to take advantage of her, she scooted closer to him. He could only see her from the dim light of the torches but it was impossible to really see the expression on her face.

"Thank you," she whispered. He extended his arm out; she lifted her head and placed it on his shoulder.

"Well do you really think I was going to try anything?" he asked, "You're a monster hunter! Attempting to do so would've probably resulted in my nose being broken."

He heard her laugh slightly and then he realized that she hadn't denied it.

"Besides, we need to get our rest," he said and looked to the foot of the bed where his hat was, "We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow."

"Your house is that far away?"

"Oh no, we're not going home yet," he said with a smirk, it was easier to fall into his old flirting habits, "I believe it's customary to take one's wife on a honeymoon. And luckily dear, since you married a man who travels and sees much, you're in for a honeymoon unlike anything anyone else could ever give you."

"Oh, trying to impress me with your ability."

"_Trying," _he sneered, "Darling, I'm pretty sure I already have."

"Bold one, you are," she noted.

"I'm certain I can back it up," he told her, "Now go to sleep. I'm not sure about you but marriage to me is very exhausting work."

"And to think, you're not the one who wore the corset."

He playfully nudged her with his foot, "That's what you think."

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Jefferson kept waking up that night and every time he did, he found his wife in a different position. At first she slept with her arm slung over him. Another time when he awoke, he found her on her stomach and taking up half the bed. The third time that he awoke, her feet were where the pillows should be and her head was near his hat at the foot of the bed.

He saw the open window and a cool breeze lift up her hair.

The room was suffocatingly hot. Jefferson pulled off his night shirt and moved so that he was laying the same direction that she was. He didn't care if it made her uncomfortable; he was desperately trying to cool off too.

He took a second to look at his sleeping wife, he could see her a bit better because of the light outside. Now that she was asleep, her guard was down, the lines were gone in her face and she looked at peace. Far different from the hardened warrior that he'd been looking at since yesterday.

He put aside his own defense wall for a second and smiled shyly at her. He brushed a knuckle down her cheek and rested his hand on her side.

He could be a husband…he could be a good one. If she was just as broken as he was then he could relate to that…they could…they could figure this out somehow. He had achieved everything else he'd set out to do, so marriage was just another thing to brag about.

A slight breeze hit. He didn't remember it stopping before he fell asleep again.

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When Jefferson woke up the sun was beginning to rise. He reached over instinctively to make sure his new bride was still there but he found the side of the bed that his wife slept on was empty. He sat up and looked around in a bit of a panic. There was food that was waiting on the table…what else did she need? Where would she go?

He heard the slight splashing of water and he looked up to see his wife come out from behind the curtain, black trousers and a grey tunic as her attire this time.

She smiled slightly when she saw him and he saw himself in the mirror. His hair was tousled and he looked horribly confused. It almost made him look endearing and not as confidant as he would've liked.

He stood up out of the bed and gave a short bow, "My lady."

She nodded and stared boldly at his bare chest, "You've seen some fights too."

"I'm a man who travels and sees much and I've made some enemies along the way," he said with a casual shrug, "Nothing to worry about, the queen gave me a royal passport and if I understood correctly, that was part of the reason why you married me."

"I've made some enemies along the way as well," she said, "Luckily royal passports extend to any spouses and children that can come out of the arrangement of marriage."

"Arrangement," He gave a faux pout, "After all the hours that we've spent working on this relationship and you call it an 'arrangement."

She gave him a charmed smile that sort of uplifted him a bit, "Please don't cry, the servants where charge extra for snot on the pillow."

"No, I'm going to cry in the pillow of where we're going tonight. Alone. And you can sleep on the floor because I am not giving up the bed."

"And Rumpelstiltskin implied that you were gentleman!" she said in a deadpan voice that somehow held some teasing in it.

"Oh, he would never imply anything of the sort."

She smiled and slipped a dagger into her boot, "So where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere cold," he said and stood closer, "And isolated…"

"Cold means a possible fireplace…isolation means either you plan to murder me and make off with my fortune or you plan to seduce me and you don't want neighbors nearby…or both. Hopefully not in that order."

"Well, whichever comes first," he said with a smirk, "We need to get some things bought before we leave, I'll make you a list of what you need. Luckily Rumpelstiltskin let us have his carriage and bought us a servant for the day. Do you need money?"

"No. Where are you going to be?" she asked.

"I believe it's customary to get a man's wife a gift for their honeymoon and I'm going to get you something that you've probably never seen before in your life."

She narrowed her eyes, "And here I am with no clue what to buy you."

He stopped and gave an exaggerated look of thoughtfulness.

What did he want from her? He already had everything he could hope for.

Instead he shook his head, "I have your companionship. That's enough."

He expected her to be touched by the compliment. And for a second, she looked like she was. But then she quickly covered it up with a scoff and a roll of her eyes. She put her wall back up before he could tear it down, "I'm buying you something."

"I'm a hard man to buy for."

"Oh, well then I feel like I've been issued a challenge," she said and turned, "I suppose I'll meet you back here?"

"Do you know the village?"

"My brothers and I have been working with Rumpelstiltskin for years, I know the village."


	14. Chapter 14

The world that Jefferson was taking his new bride to was full of snow and ice and mountains and caves, so he bought enough furs to keep her warm during their stay

. Since it was an agonizingly warm autumn, he's gotten a good deal on the cloaks and fur blankets and when the vender gave him an odd look at his choices, he had shrugged, "Wife likes it."

The vender gave him a nod of understanding and Jefferson was glad he didn't have to push things off on an imaginary wife to explain some of his more eccentric behaviors.

When she returned he had her gift ready. He'd had to travel to the world without color…Frankenstein's world; to get it and he knew that she'd probably never seen anything like it because if she had then she'd be carrying something similar with her at all times.

She was waiting for him when he returned to their room at the inn. He took a second to meet her eyes and gaze at her face. His wife. It felt so odd to say now.

The window was open and she used a book to fan herself. She saw him standing there with all the furs and the food and the blankets. She raised an eyebrow, "Did you clean out the marketplace?"

"No. Just most of it," He looked at the bags of food and weapons she had brought. She'd been smart to buy meat, he wasn't sure if it was hibernation or not in this world, all time passed differently between worlds. He didn't want to waste time trying to find food.

He lifted his own bags and grabbed his hat, "I haven't been to this house in a few months…I'm not sure what I'll find."

"You have houses in other worlds?" she asked amused.

"I have houses in EVERY world, I have access to," he said.

"You get paid well then?"

"Extraordinarily well," he said, proud of himself. He watched her for her reaction and she seemed pleased by this. And why shouldn't she be? A wife wanted a husband that could provide and care for her, just because Karenina was a huntress and probably made her way in life didn't change the fact that she probably wanted security in him as well.

He put the hat gently on the ground, "Ready?"

She nodded and he spun it. The hat began to grow and the purple cloud formed signifying that the portal was open and ready for them.

Karenina handled her own many bags and without looking at him grabbed his hand with the only free one she had. She had a strong grip to match his. He looked at her and she smiled at him; Eyes full of excitement and curiosity.

And together they jumped.

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Jefferson's house in this world was right next to his portal. Every portal jumper's portal was unique to them alone so he never had to worry about intruders coming through here without having a climb.

He loved the view here. His house was in a cave up in the mountains with a large enough mouth that one could walk without leaving the safety of the cave and see different sides of the mountain and forests that lay below. The winds still blew in snow so the ground was covered in several feet of it.

The roof of the cave was open…or rather it would have been if not for the several feet of ice that covered it and kept the snow from drifting in and snowing on the house. Jefferson still wasn't sure how that ice dome formed but it was still magnificent and so he'd built his home here.

And from the way that Karenina looked around, she was quite impressed as well.

Then he remembered that it was cold and while he had his coat, she had no cover and he dropped everything in the snow to wrap the fur cloak around her and make sure she was warm.

He had almost expected her to snap that she was fine but she accepted the cloak and looked around in awe, "How did you find this place?"

"My portal opened up to it," he said, "Usually I make sure my homes are close to the portal in case I need to make a quick exit. My work has made me many enemies."

"As you've told me," she said and walked to the mouth of the cave. The sun was starting to set here. He hated the way time was different in all the places they visited, it made his head hurt and it affected his body and sometimes it took days to get it to work right.

He started gathering their things and within a second she was there to assist him.

"You may look around if you wish," he told her.

"I've seen it now," she picked up the water canteens that he'd brought with him, "I can assist you."

The house here was far smaller than the one he ran in the Enchanted forest. The kitchen, bedroom, living room, and dining room were all in one room here.

And it appeared he'd been robbed. The bed was still intact but the furs he'd left there were gone. He supposed that was to be expected, he should've realized it when he saw that most of his firewood supply was gone as well. They'd have enough to last the night but He'd have to go down the mountain in the morning to chop up some more.

Wordlessly, they settled into a bit of a silence as they both worked to restore the house for their stay. Jefferson put things away while she cleaned and dusted and got a fire going.

By the time they were done, the sun set and the cabin was habitable and warm.

And both of them were at an awkward realization that they had nothing else to do but actually start to get to know the other.

Oh wait, Jefferson remembered they still hadn't exchanged wedding gifts. Oh, he could still hide behind that.

They were sitting in front of the fireplace eating a stew that she'd made when he remembered the gifts and he scrambled up to go to the furs draped across the bed, "I bought you something."

She watched him. It occurred to Jefferson that he should've really brought chairs but that would clutter the house up and since he was so used to that part of the house being bare then he would most likely spend the next 10 years tripping over them whenever he had to get up in the night to empty his bladder.

He placed the heavy box in front of her and she opened the lid and looked in, "What in the name of everything-."

"I'm told it's called a gun," he said, "I'm told that it can kill monsters and people."

She lifted it carefully, "How do the mechanisms work?"

He remembered the conversation that Frankenstein had told him when he asked the same question but he didn't really care to get long winded and bore her, "It's something they call 'science' over there. And he told me that it shoots silver and he showed me how to make these things called bullets out of them. It's probably far more accurate than your crossbow or whatever it is that you use."

She looked at it and then at him and smiled radiantly for the first time that they'd met and with that joyous look in her face it was almost as if the hardness and scars were gone from her face and she looked like a flawless beauty.

"Will you show me how to use it?"

He held out his hand and she took it and they both walked outside to the mouth of the cave where he'd set up a target earlier.

"Wait," he told her and practically dragged her to the large mouth of the cave and pointed to the sky, "I'd forgotten about this."

Her eyes grew as the night sky filled will all colors of light and they danced around in waves and wisps…Rumpelstiltskin called them 'auras' but in some books Jefferson had to read, they were called 'Northern lights'

Hand in hand, they stood there for a few minutes and stared at the lights. He felt his wife tighten her grip on his hand and she stepped closer. The meaning clear; she was beginning to trust him now.

And for a moment that Jefferson knew would one day be spoiled, with a wife that trusted him and them being isolated…he felt happy.

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"I regret to inform you that I did not get you anything near as fancy as a mechanical device that I've never seen before," Karenina seemed genuinely disappointed that somehow her gift would mean less.

"I don't care about that," he told her and watched as she pulled down a cloth bag and put this rather large hat box in front of him.

She blushed, "I know you probably have better ones but it belonged to my brother."

"Actually I don't."

Most men didn't wear hats as large as his, so the containers made to carry them were decorated for women. He paid for expensive custom ones but they always seemed to break down due to his constant travelling.

But this one…it looked like it was built to withstand such things as weather which always seemed to be the cause of the breakdowns.

Karenina watched him as he picked it up and examined it. It was a bit bigger than the hat would need but it looked like it would be in good shape, "You carry this with you?"

"He destroyed the hat when he left the business," she said and looked ashamed, "He left after my other brother was killed. He left the business of hunting because our mother needed us. He left, I didn't."

"Why not?"

The guilt was written all over her face, "Because she wanted a more traditional role for me and I worried that if I left and went with him then I'd be guilted into pursuing it."

"And your brother?"

"He wanted to leave the business, he'd been looking to do it for years," she shrugged, "I wasn't ready to. And so I asked Rumpelstiltskin to find me a portal jumper who could. Preferably an unmarried one who had a passport could extend to me. I honestly didn't expect him to find me one such as you"

"HE could've given you anyone," Jefferson said, "Someone that would've hurt you."

"I've been running jobs for him since I was fourteen, I would hope that he had a bigger soft spot for me than that."

"Is there anything else I should know?" he asked, she acted like he should be angry but he wasn't. After all, he was the one that had manipulated a woman in payment for Rumpelstiltskin finding him a companion as well.

She tensed, "I've been married before."

Jefferson raised his eyebrows and he felt a bit jealous but he didn't know why, he also had to keep from getting angry at her not telling him, "Should I be worried?"

"No. He met his true love years ago and left me."

"But you wanted to marry again?"

She shrugged, "I was lonely and I had loved him and gotten hurt by it so I figured that as long as we didn't do it under the assumption that we could be true loves then it'd work out and you were nice to look at…which didn't hurt."

He looked down and tried to think of something to tell her so that he could show that he was trying to open up to her as well. Unfortunately he'd been a very 'what you see is what you have' sort of husband thus far and he couldn't think of anything that didn't sound incredibly stupid but he tried anyway, "I've been with other women."

Karenina blinked and smiled, "I imagined you had."

"Well," He looked down at the hat box…her brother's hat box that she'd entrusted to him even though she'd had no possible way of knowing what kind of a man she was going to marry at the time, "You're my wife and you should know."

"I see."

They stared at each other awkwardly and she cleared her throat, "I know you weren't aware of my first husband when you married me…if you wish I'll have Rumpelstiltskin annul the marriage."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

She looked embarrassed, "Most men just run when they find out I'm a huntress…and then I find a man that actually wants to marry me regardless of what I do and I didn't want to ruin that by having a poor taste in men beforehand."

"I don't want to annul the marriage," he said quickly.

"But I lied to you."

"I don't care, I don't want you to go," he said truthfully. He was a bit annoyed but he honestly didn't want to lose her. She had trouble finding a man that would accept her work and he had the same problem finding it in a woman. And really he did sort of like her. She wasn't as ice cold as he thought at first and he liked her smile when he did something to earn it, "Do you want to go?"

"Not really," she told him honestly.

"From now on, we don't lie to each other," He said, "We'll act like a real married couple…or rather how society deems a married couple should act but we all know never happens."

She looked touched, "Deal."

He kissed her cheek and grabbed the hat box, now he absolutely adored _this _gift. In his mind it was one of the best things anyone had ever given him.

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The second day of their stay, Jefferson was convinced by his wife to practice sparring with her. It was no big deal, he'd thought. He was used to scheming and conning his way out of situations so perhaps she could teach him a few things that he could use.

Except Karenina didn't practice, she didn't spar…she just fought. And Jefferson supposed that it made sense; if they couldn't beat each other, then how were they supposed to fight monsters? However, there was still something VERY disconcerting about his stoic wife chasing him around the small house with a machete with every intent to cut him.

He tried not to hurt her. She was a 5'6 weapon made of skill and muscle and he was still bigger than she was. He worried that he would hurt her and he didn't want to spend his honeymoon feeling guilty even though she said she wouldn't be angry. So he either blocked or dodged.

And she was getting frustrated.

"My enemies don't do what you do, they attack!" she snapped.

"I'm not going to attack you! We're just starting to get to know one another!"

"If I don't have you to practice with then I don't have anyone; Rumpelstiltskin cheats."

Jefferson really couldn't say that he saw her sparring with Rumpelstiltskin but that insane imp did anything as long as it meant he was in close proximity with the closest woman around.

She lunged at him again and he grabbed her wrist. She tried to knee him in the abdomen but he blocked it with his leg and slammed her wrist into the wall twice to get her to drop the weapon. She smashed her forehead against his face but he held on, wrapped her arms in a bear hug and forced her to the wooden floor. She tried to bit him and he moved his shoulder, "Cheating! We agreed!"

"We never agreed on biting, just groin attacks."

"I thought it went without saying!" he protested. She stopped fighting and drew a heavy tired sigh.

He took his arms off her but didn't move from his position. He just held himself over her as they both tried to catch their breath. The warmth of the cabin seemed to suffocate them now and he could feel the humidity even though he'd shed his shirt when they first started this. He had hoped that she'd be distracted but she wasn't.

It was a quick moment but he realized that she looked very pretty lying in front of the fireplace gazing up at him. The firelight softened her features and she looked almost vulnerable. He reached down and brushed some hair from her face, "Are you alright?"

She nodded, he felt her tense at his touch but she didn't pull away, "And you?"

"Few bumps and bruises…nothing I can't handle."

"That was me being gentle," she teased and rested her hand on his chest right over his heart, "You couldn't handle me at my full strength."

"I imagine not," he teased, "Just like you couldn't handle me at mine.

She smiled and he moved to kiss her cheek. She turned so that his lips met hers and he pulled back. No, this was a test…she was going to take him out if he actually fell for it. He was aware of the old seduce and fight trick…

But the way she looked at him when he stared at her…she wasn't playing, "What are you doing?"

She took a breath, "I trust you."

That was all the invite he was going to get as they both laid here half naked, hot and panting, "Sometimes the atmosphere…it messes with the mind."

"It's not messing with mine," she promised. Never taking her eyes off his.

"Are you sure?" he asked. He didn't want her to regret this, they had been getting along so well and one misstep could ruin everything.

"I've been sure since last night."

"And you didn't say anything?"

"We spent the day cleaning and we were both tired, seemed like moving too fast for my taste. You would've just thought I was trying to use myself to thank you for the wedding present."

"This won't mean that we're in love," he told her.

"It just means that we are on a level of trust and care about each other that would warrant a healthy relationship full of all the perks," she told him, "I'm aware."

And with that out of the way, Jefferson saw how happy she was and how…actually happy he felt and this time he didn't pull back from the kiss that they started with.

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Sometime during all of this, they made it to the bed, Jefferson wasn't sure when but at some point in everything, Karenina had complained about splinters and so they'd moved.

The bed was in even worse condition; it felt like it was going to fall apart on them but it managed to hold during the…belated wedding night and now he lay on his stomach at the foot of the bed to watch the fire dancing. Karenina straddled his back and gently massaged the muscles that felt so taught and strained now that they were rested.

She trailed her lips up his spine and rested her head on his shoulder. It'd been the first time she'd taken her hair out of the braid since they'd been together and it fell past her shoulders and over his in long yellow waves.

"Promise me something," he said, breaking the silence of this little bliss they were experiencing.

"What?" she asked.

"Promise that you won't leave."

"After that performance?" she teased and ran her fingertips lightly down his bare back, "Bloody unlikely."

"I mean it," he turned over on his back and she held herself up long enough for him to turn and she lay on top of him. One hand intertwined with hers and the other found the side of her face. She smiled at the tender way he touched her and her eyes spoke of how long it'd been since someone touched her in this way. If ever.

"I won't leave you," she said.

"And I'll stay with you," he promised. He kissed his wife again and she giggled as he found the energy for perhaps one more round of….caring…before they went to bed.


	15. Chapter 15

The fourth day into the honeymoon, a blizzard roared outside but other than the howling wind…Jefferson and Karenina hardly paid attention to it. They were far too busy keeping each other warm.

Jefferson lost all sense of time as he spent all day in bed with his wife. They napped on and off when they wore each other out and ate when they were hungry but more often than naught they just spent their time in each other's arms which was currently Jefferson's favorite place in this world.

He was wrong, being a husband was amazing. He was HAPPY. It was a feeling he wasn't used to. There was always a sense of loneliness before, even when he had all the material things that he could hope to possess and servants to attend his every need. But this was different. He had someone with him now…someone not more powerful or less powerful than him and on the same area as him in society's standards.

The feeling, he had to say, was a good one that had settled into his belly.

The fifth day of the honeymoon, he woke up with a carefree smile, rolled over on his side and rubbed a thumb gently across his wife's temple and playfully kissed her nose as she opened her eyes.

She smiled up at him. They were starting to get a bit dirty. He should start filling up the tub today…but it was cold outside and the bed was warm.

Karenina sat up. Her blonde hair was in tangles, "How is a man like you not taken before you met me?"

He smiled and ran his hand up her neck and into her hair. It was a natural color. Not the bleached dyed kind that never looked right to him, "Waiting for the right one I guess."

"And the 'right one' just happened to be whomever Rumpelstiltskin could dig up?"

She ran a hand over his back and he smiled and buried his face in her neck,

"I trusted him, that crazy imp is a fan of true love apparently."

"I thought it didn't exist," she teased him and trailed a foot down his naked him and…oh gods, she was tempting him again.

"It doesn't," he told her and moved closer. He practically reclined on her now, "But if he believes it then he'll do better by us, don't you think?"

She shrugged, "Perhaps you have a point.

He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose again. It was his favorite show of affection, "How does a hunter of monsters come to work for a monster?"

"Tried to murder him when I was twelve."

He stopped and laughed, "I see how well that went."

"Yes, I was a bit of a brat back then; sort of stupid too. He was trying to get my father's land from him and then he offered to take my brother away and I went right up to him and buried my knife right into his gut. He sort of flung me aside and pulled it out. Rumpelstiltskin told me that he wouldn't murder my family in retaliation if I came to work for him as soon as I was old enough. My family was devastated but it was a nice deal. He knows where all the big payouts for monster hunting are and he got me a husband that's a satisfactory lover."

He smirked, "Only satisfactory?"

"My approval of you goes up as I start to like you more."

"Any chance I'll be an excellent lover soon?" he asked and kissed her bare shoulder.

"Depends," she grabbed him and pulled him on top of her. He happily obliged, "Keep auditioning."

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Their honeymoon lasted a week but they had to come home. Both were reluctant to but the food had either gone bad or was gone and both agreed that the cold wasn't doing them any favors.

Just as Jefferson instructed, the servants were lined up outside when the carriage pulled up after the week in the mountains.

"The house is modest but it's spacious," he told his wife as the footman came to open the door.

Karenina gaped at the house, "That's _modest_ to you?"

He ignored her and stared at her dancing blue eyes, "You'll have your own room-."

"I don't want my own room," she said immediately.

He blinked, "I don't understand. Why not?"

"Why _should_ I want my own room?" she asked genuinely confused, "It wasn't an issue this last week. We shared that cabin bed just fine."

He winced as she brushed her hand down his leg. Not here, he was about to address his servants! "Because we're rich and that's what people of our status do."

She frowned, "I've displeased you somehow."

His eyes grew, "No. Not at all."

The door opened and Jefferson reached over and shut it, he didn't want to postpone this discussion. He hadn't thought to talk about sleeping arrangements; he thought it went without saying.

"Then why should we have separate living arrangements?" she asked, "Is that how you want our marriage? So that one of us calls the other into the room when we express desire for…our duties as a bride and bridegroom?"

"You can sleep in my room all you want," he told her, "I just thought that perhaps you wanted the extra closet space and a part of the house to call your own."

"I hardly take space," she said, "And I rather liked sharing the bed with you. The activities we shared on it were memorable. Also I think our bond together would be stronger if we shared a room. We both married so that we would have a companion and so I think this should be important."

Well, that made sense, "As you wish but you're using that closet in the guest room for your armory."

She smiled, "I'll hide things in the room though."

"I have no doubt you would," he said and opened the carriage door.

"Hello sir," Peter greeted as he descended.

"Any trouble?" Jefferson asked and held out his hand.

"None sir," Peter looked at Karenina and gave a quick bow, "My lady."

Karenina looked startled at the gesture. She had told him during one of their love sessions that she had never been treated as a lady before. Just someone to take care of a problem and was paid for it. She bit her lip and looked to him for help.

"There's no need for that," Jefferson said quickly, "Treat her as you would me."

Jefferson held out his hand and she accepted it. He led her down the line of five servants, "For those of you who did not hear…which I doubt…I inform you all that I have taken a wife."

Ayna, the fourteen year old daughter of Peter and Annabelle looked at him with tear filled eyes which he ignored. Perhaps it would've been merciful to ask Rumpelstiltskin to also find her a betrothed that would make her forget her lovesick feelings for him. He wished he'd thought of that.

He ran his hand down his wife's back and smiled at his bride, "This is Karenina Van Helsing, and she has work that she also does that may or may not usually align with mine so she will be travelling with me for many of my journeys. Treat her as if you were talking to me. Make her feel welcome and at home but for the sake of the gods don't smother her."

With Jefferson's permission, Peter dismissed the servants into the city to celebrate the wedding and when they were certain they were alone, Jefferson swept his wife up in his arms and carried her across the threshold.

He would give her a tour of the house.

And the master bedroom was the best place to start.

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Jefferson and Karenina had spent practically a week in marriage bliss but as the days at the house began, responsibility and reality sank in.

For starters, Karenina wanted no servants for herself, and while it simply wasn't done in their part of the city, Jefferson endured it. But the real test came when Karenina immediately dismissed the bodyguard he'd hired to watch over her when she worked.

"He'll just be a liability," Karenina told him and read through the messages that were being sent to her.

"He's to protect you."

"I can hire another hunter to do that."

Jefferson was immediately jealous but he pushed that to the back of his mind, "He has references a mile long. You go off on hunts then you need someone to watch your back and make sure you get home."

"Do any of those references tell you that he'll be able to face what I have to face on a daily basis?" she demanded, "You put him in there without training and he's just asking to be killed. I'm not going to have a dead body on my conscience."

He brought in two more for her to interview and she dismissed them immediately. Neither one were experienced to her liking.

He learned his wife is nothing if not stubborn.

When she dismissed the fourth one who had the most satisfying record, Jefferson started an argument led to an angry row that the servants crept to the door to hear, "I just want you to be safe!"

"I was safe for eighteen years before you came along and if I take the right precautions then I'll be safe for eighteen more!" she yelled back, "Brining an inexperienced babysitter won't help me get home. Let me do my business in my own way and stick with yours. You don't see me going in to demand you do anything different with your job!"

"My job won't get me killed."

"Not from what you tell me," she shot back and he regretted telling her _why _he needed that royal passport.

They don't talk for two days after that. Jefferson slept in his study because it was the gentlemanly thing to do. He supposed he could sleep in one of the guest rooms but those were for guests and if Karenina saw how stiff and sore he was then maybe she would take pity on him and see his side of things.

Rumpelstiltskin visited the third day. Jefferson gave the servants the night off after the dinner was ready. They were terrified of the Dark One. He, Karenina, and the Rumpelstiltskin shared an awkward dinner. Rumpelstiltskin casually asked how their marriage life was and Jefferson didn't know if he started it or if Karenina did but they argued again. But whoever was to blame, Rumpelstiltskin found the whole thing extremely fun. At one point he grinned and clapped his hands together excitedly almost like a child would. Jefferson didn't say anything about it; he was too invested on winning. When he doubled over laughing, Jefferson felt himself grow angry. His fear of any injury happening to his wife wasn't a laughing matter.

"You two amuse me so much," he said and gestured to Karenina, "You were married before and you don't tell your husband until afterwards and Jefferson, YOU, corrupted people and conned your way into having a house and servants and this glorious estate…which isn't as big as mine but it's commendable."

Jefferson prayed he was talking about land.

Rumpelstiltskin kept a finger pointed at him, "Do you know how hard it is to find a woman willing to endure what you do? And no, not one that would kiss you goodbye and wait for you to come home, but one that wouldn't be jealous of where you go and who you might be with and trusts you enough that she knows you'll come back for her if you need someone from the other worlds when she has to accompany you? Compatibility is a hard thing to find these days, dearie. Especially for a personality like yours. You wanted a strong woman capable of defending herself and Karenina is what I gave you. She is a monster hunter, that's her job and that's how she works. It wouldn't be advisable for you to try and change how she brings in money as long as she does it and survives."

Karenina looked triumphant until Rumpelstiltskin turned to her, "And you, I know that you haven't had someone tell you how to do things in years. I couldn't even do that dearie. But you have a husband now, and his opinions should play a part in how you decide things. I know it's hard to believe but there are some of those out there that could care for you if you let them. And it has nothing to do with views about how your husband should be the decision maker or the dominant one like you asked me NOT to give you, dearie. But you're partners now."

It was Jefferson's turn to smirk.

The rest of the dinner was spent in silence and Rumpelstiltskin thanked them for the entertainment, gave his usual slap against Jefferson's back and gave Karenina the kiss on the cheek. Jefferson felt a twinge of protection and jealousy and he pulled his wife away gently when he was certain that Rumpelstiltskin had given a small quick smell of her hair.

The imp gave him a knowing smirk and left in a cloud of smoke and they stood together awkwardly. Neither one apologized. They both probably thought they were still right in the situation but there was a sort of truce formed now and he figured they would need to be reacquainted.

So he decided that they would bond the only one they really knew how. He took his wife's hand and led her up to their room.

An hour later, they were still in the throes of passion when the door flew open and the servants appeared in the door, breathless and terrified.

Jefferson turned to them, the comforter covered their waists because his legs got cold, so there was that dignity, "What in the name of the gods-?"

Karenina sat up too. Some of the men averted their gaze. With a curse, Jefferson pushed a sheet over his wife since she didn't think to have qualms over such things, "What is this?"

"Sir, the house was quiet and there were signs that you were still at home..."

"Yes?"

Peter looked embarrassed, "We just thought that one of you had killed the other one, that's all. It was too quiet and not in the tense way the house was been for two days."

"You were wrong," Jefferson said through clenched teeth.

"Yes sir, sorry sir," he shut the door with a slam and Jefferson looked down at his wife, who pulled him on top of her just so that she could bury her face in his shoulder to hide her giggles.

"Well now," he whispered against her ear, "I suppose it'll be hard to continue after that."

"Indeed," she turned on her side when he rolled off her and tucked a hand under his head.

It was a few minutes before he looked at her calmly, he could talk to her calmly and if he did so then she would listen, "I just want you safe. It may not be love that we share…maybe not yet and maybe not ever…but I do honestly care about you. I want to know that if you go out to hunt, there's every opportunity that you'll come home. That's all. I'm not asking you to stop your work, I'm just asking you to take precautions."

She looked touched when he said he cared about her, "And I understand that, but you're going about it all wrong. I don't mind having hunters with me but they have to be hunters that I can trust. Not bodyguards as there's a difference. And I'm honestly reluctant to bring hunters in because they have families of their own and I don't want their blood to be on my hands because you want me safe and you couldn't care less about them."

He had to admit that he honestly wouldn't care about their fates…

Her hair had a nasty habit of falling into her face so he brushed it back with gentle strokes and with the other hand he kept wrapped around his wife's waist and together they calmly discussed possible solutions for their problem well into the night.

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Even though Karenina told him differently, he still looked for a chance that she might be pregnant. It's still early yet but as the month goes by that's full of them trying, nothing had happened. Her stomach was flat and she hardly grew ill. He was a bit disappointed but he did enjoy the little pillow talk they had after wards and he had fun learning how Karenina got to be Karenina. It's not full stories but little ones. She liked the sunrise as it reminded her that she lived another day. She liked the colors that it brought before the sky turned blue and the clouds turned white.

He told her that he always wanted a dog but he hadn't ever found a reason to get one.

Another month passed before Karenina found a job she liked that he agreed to (they are partners after all). When she was gone, he had a large window constructed in the wall so that she could see the sunrise every morning and the bedcovers were turned orange and yellow…the colors that she told him she liked best. She surprised him when she came into the house with a golden retriever puppy that she had searched eight markets to find before she came home. He was beaming when he accepted her gift. He immediately kissed her and then took her upstairs to show her his gift. Her eyes filled with tears and she told him that no one had ever changed up their house for her before. He had to remind her that it was her house too.

They woke up extra early that next morning so they could see the sunrise from their bed.

Jefferson was so happy that he ignored the dog chewing on his good shoe.


	16. Chapter 16

Like Karenina, Jefferson made it a habit of discussing his job offers and whether or not he should take them. Since most of his jobs weren't dangerous, Karenina usually saw no reason why he shouldn't and more often than naught, he went out and di his work. Although once, Karenina told him she didn't feel comfortable with him going to the water world. She gave no reason why, but he thought it was just because she wanted to see what he would do.

And so to make her happy, he didn't go through with it. He spent the week with her; after that, she didn't complain and let him take as many jobs as he wanted.

And this one was starting to really wear on him. A man wanted him to help him cross over so that he could settle a debt that he was owed. The problem was that it was winter and it as a biting winter with iced rains and biting winds and every time Jefferson stepped outside, he was soaked within seconds. He thought he was falling ill.

And the man was two hours past his check-in point, Jefferson was more than willing to find someone else to cross back over with him and leave them to their little debt. Jefferson was leaving in the morning with or without the fool that he'd brought over.

"You look like you could use some company," He barely glanced up to see an attractive brown haired woman standing over him, "Not a good visit, I take it?"

"Yes, well it's been a long week," he muttered and took a sip of whatever they gave him that certainly didn't taste like the ale he ordered.

The woman smiled, "You're from the enchanted forest, aren't you?"

He took another chug, "Is my displacement that obvious?"

"I can tell by your attire…it's…quite noticeable."

Whatever he was drinking was fogging his brain and his eyes accidently fell to her chest before looking back up, "Who are you?"

"My name is Jacquelyn," she said, "But…most people just call me Jack."

"That sounds familiar," he muttered. He had heard it before but he couldn't place it.

She smiled and squatted down, "Perhaps we should get out of here and talk about it elsewhere."

The alarm that should've sounded several sentences ago immediately went off and he stood as soon as she touched his leg, "No."

"I don't under-," she looked confused but the confusion briefly gave way to disappointment.

"I'm married," he showed her his ring. She just barely glanced at it which told him she'd known full well what she was doing, "_Happily _married."

"And she let her attractive husband go off to other worlds by himself."

"I can't help my attractive face!" he responded. He tried to shake off the feeling of guilt because he knew that up until now, he'd been drunkenly flirting back. Maybe not so much in words but…he wasn't exactly closing his eyes. He'd betrayed Karenina's trust. She didn't raise a fit about him going off by himself because she trusted him to stay loyal to her and he hadn't been. He was…there was a part of him that even considered this!

Without listening to her argument of 'no one would know', Jefferson turned and went to his room. He locked it and stirred the fire so that he would become drowsy enough not to dwell on what could've happened.

He remembered her name now. Karenina had spoken of her and not in good terms. She was a backstabber. While Jefferson couldn't claim innocence on that, he also remembered that Karenina spoke of how 'Jack' would rather betray and clean out those she was promised to protect. Karenina had told him that while she never considered herself a fully 'good' person, she would never do that. She hunted because she wanted to protect those unable to. Not get a payday out of it.

That made it worse for his guilt; His wife had already been betrayed by one husband. He was going to break her heart when he told her that she was nearly just been betrayed by another.

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The knife was even further twisted in his chest when he returned the next afternoon and Karenina met him outside. The look of joy on her face hit him hard and he didn't return the embrace that she gave him, "You're home early, I thought you weren't due back till tomorrow…"

He couldn't look at her, she tried to touch his face but he pulled away, "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

He saw her joyous face start to falter, "We can talk here."

"I meant in private."

And now he saw the dread in her face, "Here is fine, Jefferson. Tell me what you did."

"I…met Jacqueline…the one that works like you do."

The dread gave way to horror and he saw her eyes fill with tears, "What have you done?"

"She approached me and I was drunk…and we flirted…and it was an accident Karenina, I swear but when I saw what she was trying to do, I went and locked myself in my room. I'm so sorry-."

"Was she in there with you?" Karenina demanded.

"No, but-."

"So nothing happened," Karenina said, "Other than some flirting…"

"No," He looked down, "I know…with your history with your first husband that you took a risk trusting me and I paid back that trust with...I'm just sorry Karenina, I couldn't sleep last night and I know that I've hurt and disappointed you because I promised that I would be loyal and-."

He watched as Karenina put her hands up to her eyes and wiped the tears away, "Jefferson…stop."

He looked down; ready to receive the brunt in of a verbal attack but instead she kissed his cheek, "For someone that claims that you've…gotten around. You're quite innocent to how a relationship is conducted, aren't you?"

"None of the women I was with ever had the attachment that we share."

She took his hands, "I knew what I was getting into when I married you with a face like that. I knew that women would be attracted to you…the risk I took was how far you were willing to take that attraction. The guilt you feel for just flirting…proves to me that Rumpelstiltskin was right to pick you and while you think that guilt destroys the trust I should have in you, I think that it solidifies it."

"But-."

"What you did is not that bad," she promised him, "Now if it had gone further…then this would be a whole different discussion. I'm not sure if you're aware of this but Rumpelstiltskin flirts with me all the time."

"Except you wouldn't flirt back with him."

She gave him a teasing smirk, "Only to make you jealous."

Jefferson smiled slightly and rested his hand on the side of her face, she stared at him with a proud expression in her eyes and he knew that now he'd have to honor this new trust she'd just placed in him…he wasn't even going to _look _at another woman now.

He rested his forehead on hers and gave her a tender kiss, "I don't deserve you."

Karenina looked touched but as was their relationship it was immediately covered with another teasing look, "I know."

He smiled and let her lead him to the house, "Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

"Louie will fix you a nice lunch…what happened to the man that you were taking?"

"Oh, left him. Apparently debt settling still means 'murder' to some and so instead I turned him in and brought over the widow of the man that was killed so that she could start over.

"You're turning into a softie."

"And why do you think that I returned home? I needed to be near you so that I could get my ruthlessness back."

"Aw, sweet," Karenina playfully said and leaned close to him, "By the way, I don't deserve you either but don't tell anyone I said it. They may think that I'm getting soft too."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

It was good to be home.


	17. Chapter 17

Six months into the marriage, Jefferson and Karenina had found a bit of an understanding that made their marriage work. She knew that there would always be monsters to hunt but sometimes she liked to take some time and go with him for his work. Today was one of those times.

He glanced at his wife as they dressed that morning. He couldn't say that he felt all that comfortable bringing his wife with him to meet the pirates but suggesting so might make her angry. He knew full well from the way that they wrestled around that she could handle herself. However he couldn't say that he wanted them to mentally undress the woman he married.

Or physically if there were too many of them.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, "There aren't any monsters in Neverland, you might get bored."

"I'll live," she said and buttoned her vest, "I'm not letting you go in there by yourself, you might get ravaged. Someone has to protect you."

"I'm sure I can handle myself," he said.

"As can I," she reminded him and put a small blade in her corset. She had all sorts of hidden places for weapons in her clothes, "Two people in there that know what they're doing are better than one."

"You'll have my back?"

"Of course darling," she said and opened the door that connected their room to the small servant's where the third man was waiting. They'd told him that he wouldn't age and that was all he needed to know to want to go to this Neverland that Jefferson had heard so much about.

"Ready?"

Karenina nodded and the man accompanying them didn't say anything. As a widower whose children didn't speak to him…he was more than eager to get away and find eternal life elsewhere. He wanted to get there as soon as possible.

Jefferson twirled the hat on the ground and watched as it grew and the room filled with purple smoke.

He slipped his hand into his wife's like he always did before this and all three jumped in.

"Keep your sword ready," he told his wife as he guided them both to the curtain, "They might try to replace us in order to go back through the portal."

"They'll have to get through me first," she said.

"That's my girl," he wrapped his arm around her and they walked through the curtain.

The portal opened to a beach and Jefferson blinked at the bright afternoon sun. All worlds were different which meant that they were at different times. It was just morning in his homeland and he wasn't awake enough for it to be afternoon. This was going to affect him if he stayed here too long.

Jefferson realized which of the men the captain was immediately. His form fitting leather, silk shirt, black vest, black long coat and arrogant look gave him away.

Bit young though, Jefferson sniffed.

"Are you Killian Jones?" Jefferson asked as the three of them walked to the beach.

"Yes," he said and barely glanced at him, "I take it that you're the portal jumper."

Jefferson realized that he was staring at Karenina and struggled to get his attention, "Sorry, I thought you'd be older."

"Oh trust me, age his nothing when it comes to…experience," Killian spread his arms and gave a sweeping bow to Karenina, "My lady."

Karenina looked unsure, "Hello."

Jefferson wasn't sure he liked the innuendo that came out of the pirate's mouth, "Well I imagine your experiences have given you…all sorts of problems that you're more than likely still dealing with."

The pirate ignored him, "Forgive my manners; it's been a long time since I've been in the presence of a proper lady."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure you had your…friendship with your crew to replace that," Jefferson said with a smirk.

The pirate took Karenina's hand. He held her palm open, palm up and pressed his lips against it and then he turned it over and kissed the back of her palm. His eyes stared up at her the entire time and Jefferson knew that he was SHAMELESSLY flirting, the manwhore.

Jefferson was about to interject when he saw his wife blush slightly.

Karenina blushed!

Jefferson bristled at that. They'd been married for six months and done everything from working together to…well...they'd been kicked out of an inn more than once due to their favorite way of showing each other they cared but the only times she ever really blushed was when he looked at her the day of the wedding.

Jefferson pushed away thoughts of jealousy when the pirate straightened up, his eyes still undressing Jefferson's wife.

"I apologize for not getting you a gift…perhaps a necklace, but I had no idea that your…companions would be bringing such a lovely lady."

Jefferson rolled his eyes, "My _wife _doesn't wear jewelry."

"Oh," he pouted

Karenina looked apologetic, "It's not good to wear something like that during hunting."

That perked the pirate up, "Oh, so you're a warrior."

"How else do you think I got this?" she gestured to the scars on her face and neck.

"Oh really? I didn't notice."

Even Karenina seemed dubious at that, "I believe we have an enchanted forest to get back to."

"Yes," He said and tore his eyes away from Karenina long enough to turn to him, "I have business that I don't want anyone knowing about. I suppose that neither one of you know Rumpelstiltskin or how to kill him?"

"We've had a few run-ins," Jefferson lied, "Not many dealings."

"How unfortunate," the pirate muttered and then started heading for the portal.

Karenina looked at her husband and leaned in to him as they walked, "Why did you lie?"

"Don't trust him," he said and it most certainly WASN'T because of jealousy.

Karenina stared after him, "He's certainly a character."

"Yes," Jefferson said with a sneer, the only reason Jefferson hadn't beat him senseless was because he hadn't gotten paid, "He's something."

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The pirate looked at Karenina.

Constantly.

Normally it didn't bother Jefferson. A lot of people looked at his wife but it was usually because of the scars or her unusual attire. It was hardly because they found her scarred up face and cold eyes attractive.

And here Hook was, treating her like the most beautiful thing in the world.

"You have lovely melons there," the pirate complimented, "Perfectly ripe for the taking."

Of course he was talking about the food on her plate…

Jefferson dug a fork into his leg.

"What kind of things have you seen?" Karenina asked. Jefferson wasn't sure if she knew what the captain was inferring but she was trying to be as diplomatic as possible.

"Several different lands but far too few that I've stepped on. I usually must resort to looking through my spyglass…perhaps one day you can come aboard and I'll show you how to treat a spyglass the proper way."

Jefferson's head shot up and his hand closed on a knife…

"I'm not…much for the open water," Karenina confessed.

"Not many women are until they take a ride on _my _ship."

Jefferson slammed the knife down on the table. Hook and Karenina both looked up at him in surprise.

He tried to think of something to say, "We've been to worlds that you can't even begin to know about, right honey?"

Karenina smiled warmly at him, "Yes."

Jefferson gave his wife a passionate kiss and rubbed her leg under the table. He flung his arm over his wife and smirked at the glaring pirate. Oh, they knew exactly what the other one was trying to do.

Karenina prattled on obliviously while the pirate answered in some of the most…disgusting ways possible. Jefferson wanted to pound him in the face in with the shield over the inn fireplace.

And even that might not be so bad but Karenina just didn't seem to understand that he was hitting on her. Maybe if she snapped that she was a married woman then Jefferson would feel happy but she didn't. She just continued on. Maybe she was happy that another man besides Jefferson was showing her some attention and she was just trying to make him jealous. It was working.

The pirate entertained his wife with stories about Krakens and mermaids but Jefferson ignored him and cut into his food. Occasionally he'd interrupt and ask something that would get Karenina's attention and she'd happy answer back as the pirate glared at him. He was obviously aware of what Jefferson was doing. If he wasn't then it became obvious when Jefferson smiled and gave her a tender kiss which she returned.

Finally lunch was done and Jefferson grabbed his wife's hand and led her back up to her room. The pirate had paid him that morning, the only reason he'd stuck around this long is because the pirate also offered to pay for lunch. That was now a regretful decision.

Karenina leaned into him; she still had that playful demeanor that she'd had all day, "Well he was certainly an entertaining fellow."

Jefferson refused to share in her excitement over the stories, "I don't think he was so fantastic."

She looked at him, "You're quite moody, have I told you that?"

He gave an uninterested 'hm' and looked forward to getting back to their room where he could pout in peace.

But Karenina wouldn't let it go, "Is it because of those things that he said?"

"He's a lecherous man and you kept talking to him!"

"He paid for lunch," Karenina said, "I was being nice because I thought you wanted to be there. Were you jealous?"

He scoffed what an incredible stupid thing to say, "Why would I be jealous of someone that's over 300 years old? He's old; he just looks nice to hide his age. I imagine everything that used to work doesn't anymore."

They reached their room and she turned and pressed her back against the door. She pursed her lips and traced a finger down his cheek, "You're adorable when you're steamed."

"I'm not jealous!" He protested, "To be jealous would imply that he had a chance and he doesn't. You married me; I would think you had far better standards since you did that."

She grabbed the lapels of his coat and pulled him toward her face. He met the kiss that she gave him. Her hand slipped underneath his vest, "I have no interest in the pirate."

"And who do you have an interest in?" he teased.

"Now there's a tough question," she bit her lip, grabbed his cravat and pulled him so that her lips were practically touching, "Usually I'd say Rumpelstiltskin but the man I married is starting to win me over."

"Just starting to?"

She looked up at the ceiling in faux thoughtfulness, "That usually happens when they get jealous."

He studied her eyes for a few seconds and then pressed his lips against hers a little more passionately than the kiss they'd just shared. He pressed her against the door, kept one arm around her while his other hand searched to put the key in the knob. The door opened behind them and he caught her up in his arms crossed the threshold, shoved the door closed with his foot. Karenina was placed down long enough so that he could slip his boots off. She moved to stand in front of him and practically ripped his shirt and vest open. He slipped out of them, lifted his wife in his arms and jumped on the bed with her.

It was almost evening when he looked down at his wife. He'd pulled the pillows up a bit so that they could watch the fire in the fireplace. She'd leaned on his chest contently, he rubbed her back.

"Hm?" she looked up at him, that happy playful light still in her eyes.

"On our wedding day when you said that you didn't believe in true love…did you mean that?"

She watched him carefully, "Not anymore."

He understood her implication immediately and smiled wider, that was all he needed to know. He kissed her again and rolled over on her and whispered the sentiment that she, in her own way, just told him she shared.

"I love you."


	18. Chapter 18

The world with no colors always gave Jefferson a headache. He was used to perceiving colors but when there were no colors to be had around him then he just got a headache.

Karenina looked around in fascination like she always did when he brought her to a different world. They'd been here before to visit with Frankenstein but she always looked at everything with new awed eyes.

Karenina stared at her hand and then pulled her hair into her eye line, "This…has always been odd."

Jefferson held the machete in his hands and opened the vault. Thanks to his continuing curiosity about her work, His wife had insisted on dragging him to his first vampire hunt so he would know what one was. Normally she wouldn't but she had been teaching him to fight for the eight months they were together and she was confident that he could hold his own as long as he obeyed her.

There were two scars on her back from where they'd attacked her and so it was a bit personal when it came to vampires, "We should get this done before it gets dark. The last thing we need are more creatures running around while we're trying to get back to the Inn."

"Agreed," he told his wife and walked to the vault. He shoved the coffin lid open and both their eyes grew when they saw the coffin was empty, "Oh….um…darling, I think it's awake."

Something swooped in behind them. Karenina gripped her machete and pulled out another blade. She swung the machete at the creature and when it ducked she slammed the sword into his chest. The creature stumbled and she swung her blade to behead him. However the creature blocked her swing and threw her across the room.

Jefferson ran to the creature and kicked the creature in the abdomen. The man…or whatever it was grabbed his ankle and twisted it with a crack. Jefferson screamed in pain and fell. Karenina, who had crashed against the coffin, jumped up and ran to tackle the vampire. The thing used its strength to pull her off him. She tried to twist the knife in his chest but he wrapped his hand in her hair and pulled her head back. Karenina whimpered slightly when she felt his breath…and then his teeth against her neck.

Seeing his wife in danger made Jefferson pulled out a long blade that was strapped to his leg and he ignored the pain of his ankle. He stood and swung. One hit, the thing let go of his wife. Karenina recovered and swung her blade; killing it with the second blow.

The thing's head fell next to his wife.

Jefferson wiped the blood from his face and went to his wife's side, "Are you alright?"

She stood and let him lean on her, "Yes."

"So that was a vampire?" he tried not to put all his weight on her. She was strong but still smaller than he was.

"Yes," she muttered and he could tell that she wasn't looking forward to the trek to the inn, "Entertaining creatures, aren't they?"

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The struggle to the inn was exhausting. Karenina had made a makeshift sled for him and dragged it the five miles to the inn. She sat slumped in the chair while the physician attended him. Jefferson supposed they could've sent for Frankenstein but Jefferson had no warm feelings about the body butcher touching him. Especially since his little experiment had failed so badly. He might be looking for new parts or something

The doctor splinted up Jefferson's ankle as soon as they reached the inn and told him not to really move on it for the next few weeks.

The gold sitting at the end of the bed should be more than enough to pay for everything while he healed.

When the doctor was gone, Karenina changed for bed. Jefferson watched the show with interest until she removed her shirt and he saw the dark bruises on her back, "Oh-."

She turned and looked embarrassed, "I'm fine."

"He threw you…"

"I'm fine."

"Any harder and you could've…"

"I'm fine!" she repeated and ran a shaking hand through her hair. He couldn't understand why she could just brush off what happened…that thing's teeth were just centimeters from her throat and she would've died if he hadn't been there.

He was just…so grateful that he was there and they were both alive.

Karenina sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at him with a wry smile, "Now you've seen my work. Ready to run yet?"

He pulled her to him and covered her mouth and face with desperate kisses. He expected her to initially resist. The doctor didn't want him moving around too much and he was hurt. But she didn't pull away; she melted against him, returned his kisses and moved to straddle his lap. He could feel her own fear and desperation and relief radiating off her in waves. She kept a stern cold face most of the time. It was off putting if he didn't know her. However, he did know her and he could see that she let her wall down around him he could feel that she honestly had been affected by tonight. He imagined when they woke up in each other's embrace tomorrow that she would scoff and say it was just a job and tonight's comforts were just them in the heat of the moment. She wanted to look strong for him so that he'd be impressed.

And he would humor her. She still hid her doubts and humanity behind those walls and as she went for his belt, he realized that as long as she still showed him those things after one of her hunts then he was satisfied that she wasn't losing it to this world she lived in.

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"Jefferson?" Karenina asked in the darkness of their room one month later as they lay in their own bed and tried to fall asleep.

"Hm?" he asked with his face buried in his pillow.

"I'm pregnant, Jefferson."


	19. Chapter 19

When Karenina had told him the news, Jefferson immediately lit up the lanterns and threw a log on to the fire so that he could see her. He was excited. He was going to be a father! He was going to give his child everything the child never had.

"Jefferson, we can't do this," Karenina said.

"Can't do what?" he asked casually as he limped over to the cart in the corner of the room. Stupid splint, he couldn't wait to get it off!

"We can't be parents!" Karenina said from the bed. Her hand went to her stomach and she gave it a worried glance.

Jefferson poured himself a small drink and took a sip, "Why not? The baby would be cared for."

"It takes more than money to raise a healthy child!" Karenina argued, "We can't…we are not parent material, darling. We are HORRIBLE people."

"Horrible people can be good parents just as easily as good people can be horrible parents."

Karenina rolled her eyes, "And what would we know about loving a child in a healthy manner? You were an orphan and the closest thing you had to a father figure was Rumpelstiltskin and my father raised a hunter not a daughter. We couldn't raise a child in our world, Jefferson…we'd be hurting them."

Jefferson felt his heart fall, "What do you want to do?"

"I want to go to Rumpelstiltskin and ask if he can find a good family that can take care of it."

Let that imp touch their child? Or anyone not them? No, this was one fight he wanted to win, "I want to keep it."

"Why?" she asked in exasperation, "You've never showed any wish to be a father before."

"Because you told me that it might not be possible," He searched her face as he sat across from her, "Please Karenina, let's be parents. It'll be fun. You like adventures; it'll be like one of those."

"This isn't some adventure that we can come home from if we're bored, this is something that if we make a decision on…we're stuck with. We just don't know what we're doing."

"No one knows what they're doing when they start," He said excitedly, "We'll learn. Because honestly…this baby is a part of me and it's a part of you…now would you honestly trust anyone to raise a little mini half of me?"

"Do you expect that argument to work?" she asked but he heard her warming up slightly.

"Listen, this decision relies on you just as much as it relies on me, but look at it this way…your body's starting to break down because of all the fights you've been in…maybe it's time to focus on something different now."

"Oh right," she teased slightly, "Because the child rearing would be up to me."

"Of course not. But my job IS safer," he reminded her, "And my jobs don't take as long as yours do."

Karenina was quiet, "I do want to…but what if our child ends up as messed up as we are? What if giving them away is their best chance?"

"Well, she'll have a tutor…a governess probably…some people to surround her to show her the path in case we can't."

Karenina lifted an eyebrow, "Her?"

"Come on, you know it's a daughter."

"It's a son," Karenina defended.

"Oh, so you've thought about it?" he teased and leaned in close to convince her using his husbandly wiles.

Karenina pushed him back a little, but he kept his arm wrapped around her, "I'll consider it."

Which was as good as a 'yes' in her language, "Wonderful! I shall tell the servants to arrange a nursery!"

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After several more conversations, Karenina and Jefferson agreed that they would raise the baby. At first Karenina was insistent that they'd mentally scar their child but the more she saw her husband excited, the more she softened towards the belief.

There was a new layer to their relationship now. They stayed up at night talking of their plans for the child. Jefferson presented a list of daughter names while Karenina went over son's names. They discussed schools and potential godparents and careers…they discussed their hopes and fears and while things like that weighed heavily on them, they still greeted each other in the morning with renewed excitement and passion.

Karenina was happier when he promised her that he wouldn't push for her to end her hunting. He just asked that she slow down, which was what she wanted to do anyway. Her body was starting to hurt her and she'd talked to him of either slowing down or stopping altogether.

The second month of the pregnancy, he came home from several meetings to find Karenina and Annabelle sitting in the study. Karenina was hunched over something in her hand on the couch.

"Evening ladies, what'd I miss?"

At his words, Karenina jumped and cursed. She put her finger to her lips and glared at him, "Thank you love."

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Annabelle looked up at him as he gave her a fond kiss on the head, "I'm teaching her how to sew…she's a fast learner."

"She lies," Karenina pouted, "We pay her to say things like that."

Annabelle shrugged, confirming Karenina's belief and he smiled and crossed over to his wife, "How do you not know how to do this?"

"My hands are better equipped with a sword, not a needle," she pouted, "And stitches are a bit more complicated than sewing."

"What brought this on?" he asked and kissed her.

"I saw a weaving loom at the market. I thought it might be fun," she told him as he helped her position her hand right to hold the needle, "But Annabelle wants to teach me how to sew and knit first."

"The basics," Annabelle told her.

"I see," Jefferson said, "You're learning mother stuff."

She looked flustered by that, "IT's not 'mother stuff' if even you know how to do some of it!"

"But you're learning it because you're going to be a mother soon, so for you…it's 'mother stuff'."

Karenina gave him a scowl but there was happiness in her eyes, "Are you going to tease me about this long?"

He gave her another kiss before he stood up. He was far too tired to teach her, he was going to bed, "Until it stops being funny."

**One Month Later**

"JEFFERSON!"

Jefferson's eyes shot open and he sat up from the bed with a knife in hand. It was instinct…he wasn't even sure why he was awake but something told him that something was wrong. Had someone called his name? Or was he awakening from a dream?

"JEFFERSON!"

His wife was screaming for him in the washroom. Panic set in, he threw the covers off and raced to the door where he found Karenina sitting on the floor, blood soaked in her nightgown and she looked like she was in pain.

Oh gods, no.

Jefferson was aware that someone was opening a door and he barely looked over his shoulder, "Get a doctor!"

He was at his wife's side in an instant and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm losing him," she sobbed, "I'm losing him."

Jefferson tried to keep her from looking down and he held her tightly, "It's going to be alright. Just calm down…we'll save it"

He was lying; he knew that it was more than likely too late. She was sobbing in his arms and he held her close. He tried to keep in his emotions…it would do her no good if she saw him crying as well.

He held her until someone came into the room. It wasn't a doctor like Jefferson hoped, instead it was Rumpelstiltskin. He knelt down in front of them and rested his hand on Karenina's brow, "Dearie?"

"Get it to stop."

"I can't," he told her and Jefferson saw how regretful he was, "It's too late dearie…your baby's gone."

"No!" she hissed and moved towards Rumpelstiltskin and Jefferson had to hold her down, "No! You're the dark one! We've helped you! I lost one of my brothers helping you and you honestly expect me to believe you can't save my baby"

Gods, Jefferson didn't remember Karenina being this strong.

"Shh" Rumpelstiltskin put his hand on the side of her face and she slumped in Jefferson's arms.

After he put her to sleep, Rumpelstiltskin stood up, "You'll want the servants to clean her up…I trust you remember how to make sedatives because she might need them."

"Yes, I remember," Jefferson whispered, completely broken. This wasn't happening…it wasn't…

Rumpelstiltskin brushed himself off and genuinely looked regretful, "Spend the week at home, you're going to need each other for a few days."

"I planned on it."

And then the imp was gone.

And Jefferson was alone with his wife.

He called the servants in and gave them the orders to clean her up and put her in a fresh gown. There was some blood on the bed and he ordered the sheets and comforter to be stripped and burned. He didn't want her to be reminded.

And he shut himself up in his study and when he was certain he was alone, he sat down and had his own breakdown.


	20. Chapter 20

The day after the miscarriage, Jefferson had hoped that Karenina would have stayed in bed and rested. She tossed and turned and he knew that she was tired and he hoped that she either just broke down crying or slept. Anything would be better than the silence he was facing.

He'd forgotten who he married.

He had tried to hold her last night but she pushed him away. She claimed it was too hot in the room to snuggle and he didn't push it. He'd seen his wife through plenty of moods but he'd never seen her grieving before. He frankly wasn't aware of what to expect and so he was prepared to spend the day handling her with care.

He dozed off and on as well and tried to be alert in case she needed him.

And because he worried about the nightmares he would have. He had been looking forward to her having the baby as much as she was and now her words about not being able to have children played over and over again in her head.

The sunrise broke through the window and he felt his wife roll over, pull up the back of his shirt and kiss him up his back, like she always liked to do, "I have to find some work to do."

The words hit him full force and he sat up, "What?"

"There are people that need my help," she stood and began dressing. She wouldn't look at him. He tried to get up and see her face but she turned it away and pretended to be gathering some weapons, "Family's that will lose loved ones if I don't respond-."

"Karenina…," He felt the words catch in his throat, "Karenina…don't. Rest today."

"There's no point in resting," she snapped, "There's no point because I'll think about it and there's nothing to think about anymore. The baby was there and now it's gone."

She still wouldn't meet his gaze. He grabbed her shoulders gently and she looked at him, "It's not that simple."

"It is," she said and closed her eyes as if she was struggling to hold herself together, "We knew this would happen. I told you as much when we got married. I destroyed my body too much in my work for it to be healthy though to carry a child. My work always comes at a price and that was mine."

He shook his head, "Karenina, it wasn't your fault."

"It is."

"It's not!" he protested angrily, "Don't think that it was. These things happen, we'll have another baby. If we have to, we'll go to Rumpelstiltskin."

She pulled away as if he'd burned her, "I won't have that imp touching me. I've seen what his magic can do."

Jefferson ignored her and put his hands on the side of her face, "I promise you that we'll find a way…if you want this baby as much as I do then we'll find a way. And if we can't then we'll adopt-"

For a brief second, her unemotional face crumbled just a bit and he wrapped his arm around her. She buried her face in his shoulder and gripped him as tightly as she could. She started sobbing and he held her tighter. A tear slipped down his face in his own grief and he realized that he'd never seen his wife break down before…not like this. He wasn't even sure that he'd seen her cry.

She pulled away and wiped her tears. Within milliseconds he watched as she straightened up and her wall was built.

"I have to work," she said and kissed him, "I'll be back in two days."

He closed his eyes and felt her pull her hand out his.

They brought her back five days later.

On a stretcher. Half dead.


	21. Chapter 21

Karenina slept on and off for several days while she healed. Jefferson called in five different doctors to help her. Karenina's legs were broken, an arm was dislocated and part of her face was caved in. Rumpelstiltskin came in when he heard that she'd been hurt and he healed her face but he refused to do anything else.

"You need time to heal dearies," Rumpelstiltskin said as soon as he restored her face, "I heal her and she'll run out to fight again. You both have to face this together."

"I"m not sure we can," Jefferson whispered.

"You have to," Rumpelstiltksin told him almost gently...for him, "For your son's memory."

Knowing the baby's gender hit Jefferson hard in the chest and he practically locked himself in the room with Karenina and refused to talk to any of his servants.

Rumpelstiltskin didn't come back after that. Jefferson sat next to his wife as often as he could and slept on a pallet on the floor. The third day, he was incredibly stiff that he could hardly move.

When Karenina woke up, she always asked what happened. She had lost a lot of blood and she was weak. Jefferson gave her water and told her that she'd been in a fight and she was recovering. He held her hand until she slipped back into a sleep thanks to the sedatives that he mixed in the water.

She would've been in a lot more pain if he didn't.

On the fourth day, he lessened the use of the sedatives and she started staying awake for longer times. He and Peter helped her to the chamber pot to relieve herself when she needed it but usually it resulted in her crying in pain.

They didn't talk about it. She didn't apologize, she didn't justify herself and Jefferson didn't accuse. And the longer they stayed silent, the angrier that he got.

The end of the fourth day, he couldn't sleep on the floor anymore. He took the spot on the bed next to her but he didn't touch her. He worried that moving toward her might hurt her more and he was just frankly too angry to even look at her.

They laid in the darkness that night. He knew that she was awake, her breathing gave it away.

And there was no trigger, there was nothing that spurred Jefferson to say his next words, he just did, "I thought you loved me more than this."

Karenina drew in a sharp breath, "I do."

"Then why would you practically commit suicide and leave me alone again?"

She was quiet, "I wasn't out to kill myself."

"You went against a monster to fight it because you were angry and hurt. Of course you were suicidal."

She looked at him, "Jefferson-."

And then everything that he'd been thinking for the past few days came pouring out, "We lost our baby. Don't pretend like that doesn't hurt you because I know that it does. We lost our baby and then you put yourself in a position in which I lost you. That's selfish, do you know that? You were prepared to put yourself in a position in which you would die and I would be alone. I know that you blame yourself; I know that you think it's your fault that your body is so messed up that it couldn't handle a baby. I know that hurts you in a way that I could never understand, but that doesn't' mean that I don't hurt as well. I was excited too, Karenina. Don't you think that I was excited for our child? Didn't you care that I needed you as much as you needed that bloody work that you do?"

"And why should you want me?" She demanded and he could hear her crying, "I'm nothing but a battered woman with her insides torn up in such a way that I can't give you what I want."

"I told you when we married that I didn't care about whether or not we could have a baby."

"You lied," she snapped, "Or you didn't realize what you were saying until later. Do you think I don't know you want a baby? The way you act sometimes? And we had that chance, and it failed and now you'll know that we could've had a baby and it didn't work because I've destroyed my body too badly."

"It wasn't your fault."

Her shoulders slouched and she started sobbing harder, "Yes it is, and I'm battered and broken and you deserve someone-"

"Karenina," he grabbed her shoulders gently and took a breath, "Karenina, listen to me. I love _you. _I picked _you. _If you can't' have a baby then we'll get in a better place emotionally and we'll adopt. I don't want anyone else but you."

She stared up at him, "You can have anyone else."

"I don't want them."

"Why me?"

"Because you understand me in a way that no one else does. And you love me in a way that I've always wanted to be loved. Just like what you say I do for you. And I'm aware of how sappy that sounds but you know very well that I'm not good at romantic lines. But that's how I feel. You're the one for me. And maybe…just maybe this was just one of those things. Maybe you and I will have a baby one day or we'll adopt one…and we'll have a family that we made plans for."

Karenina's eyes filled with tears again and she put her hand on the side of his face, "I don't deserve you."

He gave her a sad teasing smile, "I know."

Despite her grief she laughed and he embraced her gently

"It'll be alright," He whispered.

"I'm sorry," she cried and she started sobbing again.

He didn't know if she was talking about losing the baby or nearly getting herself killed, but he didn't ask.

He just held her and broke down as well.


	22. Chapter 22

Karenina and Jefferson had several more breakdowns like the one they had that night but in Jefferson's mind, it was healthy that way. At least they were talking.

Karenina and he worked through it slowly but surely. He and his wife had both grown up surrounded by people but handling their problems alone. It was going to take some time to where they learned to rely on each other completely. They'd only been married for a little over a year…he was under the understanding that trust like that took time to form.

But with the breakdowns, a bond was established. Stories were a little more relaxed…Karenina was a bit more free to tell him things about her childhood and youth now that she was certain he wasn't going to abandon her. She trusted him to help her. She healed but it was painful and there were a lot of things that she relied on him for.

Seven weeks passed and the doctors told Karenina that she could walk again. Jefferson wheeled her outside as soon as they were told that

"Thank you, Peter," Jefferson said and dismissed him.

"I thought you would want to help," Karenina said in confusion.

"No," he backed away, "I just want it to be you and me. I don't want you to be distracted."

Karenina nodded. She put the brake on her wheelchair and slowly stood. Her face contorted with pain and for a second, he thought that she would fall but instead, she caught herself on the edge of the wall. Karenina's face twisted in pain but she managed to walk a couple of steps before her legs buckled out from under her Jefferson ran to catch her and they both thudded on the ground.

Karenina was tense with pain but she buried her face in his chest and laughed, "That…was clearly a bad start.

"I've seen worse," he teased, but he was beaming. His wife could still walk. She just needed her strength.

"I guess those exercises they forced me to do do really accomplish much."

He kissed her forehead and then her, "Could you just imagine the pain you would've gone through without them though?"

She groaned and relaxed against him.

Jefferson tightened the embrace and hugged her, "Again?"

She sighed, "Might as well."

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Karenina built up her strength in the following week. She limped but she could walk around the house. Sometimes she strained herself and spent the evening cringing his arms, but sometimes she actually listened to his pleading and took it easy.

She went to town with Annabelle and Louie when they had to go to market. She bought a new green dress and had her hair recut mid-back and layered as was the new fashion.

He got home from errands when he found dinner lay out on the table. Karenina was waiting in her seat. She stood and his eyes fell to her chest and then back to her eyes, "Are you wearing a corset?"

"Honey," Karenina struggled to stand up, "I can barely breathe, what makes you think I can talk?"

He recognized the look that she was giving him…and he felt his stomach flutter as she kissed him…Mm, it'd been awhile.

Both of them sat down and had dinner but as he continued to stare at her as she talked about the things she'd found in the market. She had even worn makeup to bring out her blue eyes…she looked far different from the cold eyed ice queen that he thought she'd be when he said his vows.

"I spent four house walking, Jefferson," Karenina bragged, "Four hours! That's the longest I've been on my legs without resting."

"I hope you're not too tired."

Karenina smirked and leaned forward, "What do you think?"

He threw the napkin down on the table and stood, "I'm not that hungry."

"Good," Karenina stood and grabbed his hands and kissed them, "I wasn't sure how much I could eat in this thing."

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Jefferson didn't take his lips off his wife's as they stumbled to their room. His hands tried to untie her laces but nearly stumbled when he shut the door with his foot.

Cool air hit his chest as she unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off. He pulled his arms through the sleeves and let his shirt fall to the floor.

Karenina noted his physique with approval and sat on the bed, "You've been packing on some muscle."

He shrugged, "I knew you'd want to rip my clothes off eventually, I wanted you to enjoy the view."

She grabbed him and pulled him on top of her. He kissed her lips and neck and collar and pulled the corset off. Karenina drew in a full breath and smiled, "I hate those things."

"Then don't wear them," He said and kissed the tip of her nose playfully. "I like your figure as it is."

She ran her fingertips down his back. HE felt the muscles coil as he held himself over his wife so he couldn't hurt her.

"I love you," he whispered and grabbed her hip.

Karenina sniffled.

He pulled back and looked down, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she wiped a tear away, "It's just…I'm fine, we can do this…I'm fine."

He felt the heat between them start to drain as another tear slipped down her face, "Perhaps it's too soon."

"No, it's been two months; I have to start moving on."

He climbed off his wife. He wanted to move on just as much as she did…but if they did this now then they'd regret it. Their baby was a miracle and they lost it and his wife was taking it exactly as hard as he was.

"It's alright," he wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in his chest. He expected her to start crying but she didn't. Instead she just lay there on his chest for a few minutes. He stroked her hair and they stared at the fire until it started to die.

"We'll heal," he promised, "One day, it won't hurt as bad."

Karenina wiped a stray tear away, "I can't wait for that day to get here."

He buried his lips in her hair, "Me too."


	23. Chapter 23

The next job Jefferson took, he brought his wife with him.

The inn bed was stiff and lumpy and the first thing Jefferson noticed when he woke up was how he couldn't really turn his neck very far.

Karenina was completely dead to the world next to him, he was certain that his wife got the more comfortable side of the mattress.

He tried to get scoot over to see for himself but Karenina woke up as he moved to press up against her, "Hm…I'm beginning to realize why you asked me to accompany you on your job."

"Nonsense," he whispered and kissed the tip of her ear. She was building up her strength and had hinted that she wanted out of the city for awhile. So when he got message of a potential client in a small village, it was like an opportunity that he couldn't pass up. Maybe getting her out of the house would be good "If I had it my way, you'd be coming on a lot more trips with me. I like the company."

"Hm," Karenina smiled and kissed him good morning.

He climbed over her and gave her a second kiss before crawling off the bed, "We better get dressed."

Karenina moaned and sat up. She looked stiff and he heard several pops as she tried to straighten out the kinks in her back, "Oh, you okay?"

"This mattress is horrible," Karenina rubbed the small of her back, "I think you got the more comfortable side."

"Oh how ironic," he muttered and grabbed a shirt to change into.

"Are you sure that you don't know who the client is?" Karenina asked.

"No, but the letter said we met before."

"Oh…," Karenina raised an eyebrow, "Mysterious! Well…who doesn't love a surprise?"

"In our business?" he asked changed shirts. Karenina buttoned a black shirt of her own and grabbed the pair of boots that were discarded by the side of the bed.

The door opened and they both turned, drawing their weapons. Karenina kept the gun that he'd given her in a holster of his design.

"Hello mates!" they both tensed when the familiar man casually walked in, "Life's been good to both of you lately! How does breakfast sound?"

"Oh gods….," Jefferson muttered and lowered his weapon, "No."

Hook smiled from the doorway, "Lovely bed head, Karenina."

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Jefferson knew that they didn't have to do this. He had more than enough in his account to refuse to take Hook home to Neverland. He really wasn't in the mood to hear the pirate verbally hump his wife.

But it wasn't so much a thing of money; it was a thing of reputation. Jefferson NEVER turned anyone down just because he didn't like them. In fact, if it meant shoving them off to a portal where he didn't have to deal with them again, Jefferson was all for that.

However, he and Karenina hadn't returned back to their habits yet and Hook was…persuasive and if Karenina was vulnerable…

No, he was just being jealous.

Hook insisted on going to the market before he left. He said there were things that he wanted to buy in bulk of.

Karenina had agreed, there were things that she wanted to get as well. Jefferson used the opportunity to buy some candles for what he hoped would be a romantic evening when they kicked Hook off into his home world.

Maybe it would be better here. Karenina probably felt horrible trying to make love to her husband in the same bed that she lose the baby in…

On that thought, he sent a message to Peter to go purchase a new bed. A second message told them to move the room around to give it a new feeling when they got home.

Jefferson, Karenina and Hook agreed to meet in the tavern when they were done shopping. He finished his things and put them in their room.

When he got downstairs, Hook and Karenina were already there. Karenina and Hook were already waiting at the bar. Jefferson hung back behind a divider and watched as Karenina ordered two drinks and Hook came up behind her. He couldn't help but press himself up against her as he reached for a pretzel…

Karenina quickly squirmed out of the embrace and shook her head, "Don't."

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You know what," Karenina whispered, "Don't."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said with large innocent blue eyes.

"You're wasting your time," Karenina told him and took a drink. She immediately made a disgusted face and that told Jefferson all he needed to know about the quality, "I'm not interested."

He shot her a charming smile and then grew serious, "I heard about your loss."

Karenina tensed and started to walk away, "How would you know any of it?"

"I have my sources," he said and looked genuinely hurt for her, "You have my condolences."

"Thank you," Karenina said tensely, "And if you have an ear around my house then you know that my husband and I are trying to work through this problem and _your _behavior will not help."

"Why? Because I tell you that you're beautiful?"

Karenina bristled at that, she went to rub the scar running down her neck, "No I'm not."

"I beg to differ."

"You'd be wrong," she snapped.

"On the contrary, I think you're a very lovely woman and if things were different then you would've made a fantastic pirate," he leaned closer, "Beauty for me doesn't just lie in the appeal of your face but a strength inside. You deserve to be with someone who values that."

"Like you?" Karenina asked; she took another sip of her drink and instantly regretted it, "And how long would it be until you got bored with me? I know the kind of man you are."

"Once again, you'd be wrong…I can be…quite monogamous should the right woman show up," he tucked some hair behind her shoulder. Instead of being enchanted, Karenina just looked bored.

"I'm not sure I'm willing to take the risk in seeing if I'm the right woman or not," She leaned forward, "I have something good with Jefferson. I love him because with all his conning and vindictiveness and maliciousness…I can see a quiet loving man underneath all of it somewhere whose strength I can lean on when mine falters. You, well…if you have that, then you would have to let go of your revenge mission for another woman first before you could possibly learn to love again."

They were both quiet for a minute, "I see you do your research too."

"When you save villages, people tend to tell you what they know," Karenina said and honestly looked sad for him as well, "We may amuse each other for a while but I don't think we could learn to love the other the way we both want and need. I know that you spin a pretty tale but deep down you don't want me. And I know that I don't want you."

She paid for the drinks and walked off. Jefferson hung back behind the divider for a few more moments before he walked forward and greeted a pouting Hook with a nod, "Where's my wife?"

"She went upstairs," Hook muttered and then shot him a mocking grin, "Probably to wait for me."

"Please," Jefferson scoffed, and didn't bother to hide his beaming smile, "Karenina doesn't downsize."

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Jefferson was more than happy to spin the hat and practically shove the pirate through the portal. But with a last look at both of them, and the bag of gold that Karenina held, he blew a kiss at Karenina and jumped through the hat.

Jefferson watched until the portal was closed and he moved to put his hat away.

"The pirate asked me to leave with him," Karenina said as he put his hat in the traveling trunk.

"I know," Jefferson asked and then swallowed. Her words to the pirate had affected him more than he was willing to confess at first, "I saw you."

"Oh," she said and pulled out one of the candles that he had purchased.

Jefferson closed the trunk with a slam. He looked at his wife…all scarred and broken in more ways than he could ever know…her left eye was a bit cloudy from the job right after the miscarriage…she was pretty much blind in it now…but didn't matter to him. It never had. Those flaws just made her even more beautiful."

"No one's ever chosen me because of me before," he whispered.

Karenina stopped when he said that. The candle fell from her hands and she rushed forward. He barely had time to stand before she barreled into him and kissed him passionately, "The world is full of stupid people," she whispered.

Jefferson felt a pang in his chest and he kissed his wife harder. Through whispers of love, they both ripped at each other's clothes and stumbled to the bed.

It was dinner time when they both collapsed against the bed in exhaustion. Karenina wrapped her arms around him and kissed her chest, "You are…the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Your life must've been horrible then."

Karenina rested her head on his chest, "You have turned into a far better man than you pretend to be, I wish you could see that."

"Oh darling, don't say that you want to change me," he teased and brushed a hand down her bare hip.

"No," she whispered and smiled at him, "Perhaps you're doing it yourself."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Well, you've been a bit different since I was preg…," she stopped and drew a breath, "When I carried our child, you've been a bit more compassionate…"

He smiled sadly, "Well, there might be the chance that I regress back."

"Well," Karenina said, "I hope not."


	24. Chapter 24

**Five Months Later**

Jefferson breezed through the door of his house and hung up his coat on the hook in the front room. He'd been gone for three weeks. He'd been helping a rich man find his missing wife in another world and now they were reunited.

Three weeks of cheap inns (copper pincher), barely edible food and several nights of sleeping on the ground.

It had paid off though. The money had weighed his pockets down and he was quite eager to take his wife on a bit of a quiet vacation to reconnect. Maybe a beach somewhere...with no ogres and witches and pirates and creepy little imps with their cryptic dialogue…He had a couple of locations in mind…

Find a nice hammock to cuddle with his wife on…swim in appropriately warm waters…he might even take up fishing…

Oh, the house smelled like warm bread thanks to Louie's baking. Oh, he missed that smell so much.

"Hello Annabelle," he greeted the housekeeper with a fond kiss on the cheek, "Are you done with the wedding dress for your daughter yet?"

"Almost sir," she said in a tense whisper, "Sir-."

"Well, if you come up short, let me know and I'll pay for the final costs of the wedding," he held up a finger, "And I will not hear any argument out of it, you're the most loyal friends I've ever had and this is my reward to you."

Annabelle gave him a strained look and he wondered why she was so moody today. Usually she was beyond thrilled that he was back safe and sound.

Well, in her own prim and proper way.

"You're very generous sir," she said, "Jefferson-."

"What?" he asked curiously.

"Jefferson, something's happened."

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He found his wife in the study after he talked to Annabelle and then went looking for her. She was wearing a dark green robe over her pearl nightgown. Her hair had been brushed and braided but it hadn't been pulled up.

She didn't look up when he came in. She was sitting in her favorite chair closest to the roaring fireplace. Without a word, he took his wife's hand and knelt down, "Karenina."

"Was it Annabelle that told you?"

"Yes."

"Good," she said with a choked whisper, "I shouldn't have- I shouldn't have pushed it off on her but I didn't know how to tell you."

He put his hand lovingly on his wife's leg. They should've gotten a message to him. He should've been told. She shouldn't have had to go through this without him, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to," she told him, "Before you left but I knew you'd want to stay home with me and I couldn't take you away from your work…especially when we all knew how it would end."

He felt his heart break at his wife's empty gaze, "How long did you know?"

"I just found out a couple of days before you'd gone," she whispered and brushed her hand alongside her stomach subconsciously, "The physician had confirmed it…and then that second week passed, I-."

He pulled her to the couch alongside him and held her. She sobbed into his shoulder and clung tightly to him. He rested his cheek on her hair. They couldn't keep doing this…getting their hopes up to have them dashed again; it wasn't worth seeing his wife like this. It was ripping her apart and he wasn't going to stand for it.

"What do you want to do?" he asked her.

She knew the answer, just like he did but he didn't want to accept it either.

They had discussed adoption before. Karenina was alright with the idea but Karenina wanted to have a baby. Since her body showed her it was at least possible to be pregnant, she'd taken it as a personal challenge to actually mother her own child. And Jefferson could understand that but he also knew that she had to find a way to heal herself first and if she couldn't then she may have to find a way to stop conceiving completely if she didn't want the horror of it all.

Either way, healing her or making her barren, they were going to see Rumpelstiltskin.


	25. Chapter 25

Jefferson knew that seeing the imp that had practically raised him his whole life was a bad idea. It was further confirmed that this was a bad idea as soon as Rumpelstiltskin welcomed them with an open handed slap on the back for him and a rather…extended kiss on the cheek to Karenina.

But she didn't stab him in the abdomen and she brushed off his advances…Jefferson didn't push it. Karenina could handle herself. They were here to fulfill a purpose and threatening the only one that could help them wouldn't be a good idea.

"My two favorite dearies!" Rumpelstiltskin practically squealed and held Karenina's face, "Marriage is treating you well, darling! Certainly given you a flush to your cheeks. Jefferson, you probably made sure she earned her complexion well, didn't you? You little troublemaker. And Karenina, you've been too busy entertaining your new husband that you've hardly come to visit! "

Jefferson put his arm around his wife's shoulders and pulled her away. He really didn't want to imagine his wife and Rumpelstiltskin having tea together and talking about the latest monster that she'd fought, "We need your help, we're here because-."

"Yes, yes, I know why you're here," he said shortly, "Your fertility isn't in question but your ability to carry your children are…which means…I might be able to provide you with some assistance."

Without waiting for permission, Rumpelstiltskin hunched over and placed his hands on her belly and put his face close to it like he actually studying her stomach. And then he gave a 'tsk tsk' and put his ear next to her belly. Jefferson felt his lunch rise in his throat when Rumpelstiltskin pulled back and ran his hands over Karenina's stomach slowly.

Karenina just rolled her eyes and shrugged at Jefferson.

"There is good news and bad news dearie," Rumpelstiltskin said and straightened, "The good news is I can think of at least two ways to help you. One of course would be for me to use my power and heal you and give you as many children as you want…but the price is much higher that way."

Karenina tensed. She didn't like dark magic; she didn't want him to heal her body like that. It left its mark on someone and she wasn't willing to go that far, "What's the other option?"

"A potion but I have to warn you, it's not permanent," he said, "You'd carry the child to term and provided you don't do anything risky…the child will be born. And then your womb closes and you're barren after its born. One child that's all you get."

"What's the price?"

He shrugged, "You'll owe me a favor."

Jefferson looked up at the same time as his wife, "No."

"Absolutely not," Karenina said, "I'm not playing that game of yours."

"Negotiations aren't on the table dearie, that's the price."

"Then we're leaving," Jefferson said, Karenina stood up as well and Jefferson put his hand on his wife's back. They'd find something else. There were plenty of children that needed homes.

"Fine," Rumpelstiltskin said when he realized they were actually leaving, "There may be a time come when I need Karenina's services."

Jefferson didn't like the way he looked at her when he said 'services', "For what?"

"I'm in the process of…procuring the ingredients to a curse and I may need Karenina to procure the blood of a certain creature for me."

"What creature?" Karenina asked.

"I believe it's called a jabberwock."

"Oh gods," she muttered and Jefferson knew that if she was worried then he should be as well.

"I'll pay the price," Jefferson said.

"You're not a hunter dearie," Rumpelstiltskin said, "I don't want to make your lovely bride a widow before her time. It has to be her."

"When?" Karenina asked.

"When I need it to be procured of course."

Karenina averted her gaze and that was all Jefferson needed to know.

And Rumpelstiltskin knew it too, "I'll tell you what," he held up a vial, "You take it home and discuss it. Things like this shouldn't be taken lightly."

Jefferson watched as Rumpelstiltskin flaunted the vial and quickly he snatched it from him, "Let's go home."

Karenina stood and he put his hand on his wife's back.

"Hope to see a third one of you in nine months dearies!" Rumpelstiltskin yelled from behind them, "Hope you name the baby after me."

Jefferson felt his wife tense and he slipped his hand into hers. She looked up at him with a concerned look and together they walked to the carriage waiting for them.

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"Have you ever fought a Jabberwock before?" Jefferson asked later that night.

Karenina sat cross-legged on the bed across from him. The vial full of clear liquid was on a pillow between them.

"Once," she said. Her voice indicated how well it had ended.

"We don't have to do this," he said, "What's wrong with adoption? I was an orphan and I turned out alright."

"Because I _want _to have a baby," she said and took his hand, "I want to know what that's like. When we got married, I didn't think I wanted a child because I knew that we couldn't have on…but now we have this chance and I want to take it. I don't have a problem with adoption, darling but this is truly something I want to experience. And the price isn't so high…I've seen and fought a Jabborwock so now I know how it moves and thinks…and if Jacqueline can kill one by herself then certainly I can too!"

He looked at her and sighed, he had promised himself that he would support Karenina in whatever decision she made as long as she offer the same respect to him, "Alright, I'll support you if you take this potion but until you're back home safe from fighting this thing then I'm going to wonder if it was worth it."

Karenina nodded and took his hand, "I'll be fine."

"I hope you're right."

Karenina sighed, uncorked the potion, and drank it.

"Do you feel different?" Jefferson asked.

"Not really," she said, "Tasted horrible though."

"Well," Jefferson said and brushed his wife's hair back, "I suppose we'd better get started."

"You've been looking forward to this part, haven't you?" she teased as he pushed her backwards on the bed."

"Oh love," He kissed her, "I've been looking forward to it all day."

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Three months later, Rumpelstiltskin stopped by to see how they were doing. Jefferson watched from the window as Rumpelstiltskin diverted from his path to the door to talk to Karenina who was reading on the porch. With a smile, he put his hand on Karenina's stomach and smirked in Jefferson's direction.

And Jefferson knew the potion had worked.


	26. Chapter 26

Jefferson smiled excitedly at his wife as he kissed her face and her cheeks and her nose, "We're having a baby."

Karenina smiled and put her hand over his when he put it on her stomach, "We're going to have a baby.

There had been times between the potion drinking and the conception that he doubted whether or not it would be worth it but now as he stared at his wife…he could see that it most definitely was.

She just looked so happy.

He ran his hand over her abdomen where the baby…his daughter (He just knew that it was going to be a girl.) was growing.

"What should we name her?"

"Her?" Karenina asked and rolled her eyes, "It's a son. It's a son and I'm naming him after you."

He gave her another kiss, "There are worse names."

"You mean like Killian?"

He gave her a look, "That's not funny!"

"You get jealous over nothing," Karenina whispered and put the blanket over her stomach as if it could keep the growing baby warm, "He's only a pretty face on a spectacular body but he doesn't offer anything I want."

He kissed his wife's hair as she scooted closer, "We could always name it Grace."

"What a silly name for a boy," she muttered.

"It's a girl darling," he turned the lantern down and settled in for the night, "You can try to deny it all you want but I know it's true."

"You hope it's true," she nudged him with her foot, "I asked Rumpelstiltskin and he wouldn't tell me so how would you know?"

"Maybe I Have a good instinct," he said and rolled on top of her.

"Oh honey," she sighed as he kissed her neck, "You better enjoy this while it lasts because when this baby's born I don't see how we'll find time."

"Well we have a few months yet," he teased and kissed her, "And I'm going to be with you ever step of the way."

"You have to work."

"We have more than enough money for me to take three years off if I wanted to," he told her, "We're secure financially."

Her eyes strayed to the new crossbow that she'd displayed on her side of the room. It'd been a gift from Rumpelstiltskin to congratulate her on the baby. She was already proud of that thing. She mounted it right next to the gun he gave her, "You going to use that on the jabborwock?"

"No," she linked her fingers through his, "I need a special sword for that."

"Where is it?"

"Rumpelstiltskin will have it," Karenina told him and kissed his hand, "I'll be fine. When I have to fight that thing, I'll be fine."

He looked into his eyes and he swallowed. Now that he stared into her eyes, he let himself realize that he might lose her. He didn't know what he would do if she was killed. He couldn't…he couldn't be a father without her. Out of the two of them, Karenina had one so she knew what they were supposed to do.

"Jefferson," she whispered and looked ill.

"Yes?"

She shoved him off her and ran to the chamber pot to throw up. He immediately moved over to stand beside her and held her hair out of the way while she emptied her dinner into the bucket.

"Darling," she whispered as he held her and gave her a rag, "I love you…but please don't wear that cologne again."

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When Jefferson was done with his half of the market shopping, he found his wife looking at a cart full of baby clothes. Without a word, he snuck up on her and wrapped his arms around her smaller body.

"What are you doing?" he whispered.

"Finding clothes for our child."

"You don't want to shop here," he teased, "These are for people who can't make clothes for their babies."

"I _can't _make clothes for our baby," she protested, "I'm not adept at those things."

He smiled and buried his face in her shoulder, her stomach protruded slightly and he ran his hand across it, eager to feel if she was kicking, "I've seen you stich before."

"Wounds. Not clothes. You saw how that turned out." she said and looked at the piles of cloth on the cart. Neither one of them wanted to remember the deformed baby booties nor askew dress she'd tried to make before she gave up, "At least I hope it's different. It's sort of disturbing if stitching up a gaping arrow wound is the same as making a baby gown."

He smiled and picked up a pink frilly dress, "Look at all the fluffies!"

"Stop," she slapped his hand playfully, "I'm not getting that."

"Why not?!" he teased, "It's what everyone else thinks of as cute."

"Because our son would look stupid."

"So convinced it's a boy," he kissed the hollow area of her throat and she nudged him with her elbow to get away.

"There are people watching," she reminded him.

"So let them watch," he leaned on the column that supported the cart, "You know…I believe it's customary for the wife to hope for a daughter to follow in their footsteps and the husband to hope for a son."

"Yes, but we're not traditional, are we?" she looked at a blue woolen baby blanket and smiled fondly, "While a girl wouldn't be disastrous, I wouldn't know the first thing about raising one. I grew up with an older brother and I grew up knowing that I was going to enter the family business as a monster hunter and I trained for it. The things that girls should already know, I'm just learning. Now a boy on the other hand, I would know more about raising since I lived in a male-influenced world. Why don't you want a boy as much as you want a girl? One would think you'd want an heir to influence."

"I could care less about carrying on my family name when I don't even know my family name," he said with a shrug, "And besides, the last thing I want is some mini-me following my influence as closely as he would; and I don't need a boy to have an heir… you and I both know that a girl would do as well. Especially if she took after her mother."

He nudged her jaw playfully with his knuckle but she grew seriously, "Would it truly bother you if I gave birth to a boy?" She ran her hand over her expanded stomach, "Rumpelstiltskin said this was going to be the only one we have and then the potion I drank would make me barren to keep me from miscarrying anymore."

"It wouldn't bother me," He told her honestly, "Would it bother you if she was a girl? Which she is!"

Karenina smiled, "No."

"And there we have it!" he said and kissed her passionately, "Little Grace is going to have everything she could ever hope for."

"Little Jefferson will sleep happily at night knowing daddy loves him!"

"Maybe its twins," he teased.

"Maybe I'll just flatten you right now for suggesting that," she said and kissed him again.


	27. Chapter 27

The wind brought the smell of a warm salty sea air smell to the cabin and Jefferson took a minute to breathe it in.

They'd stayed here for four months. Jefferson wanted to care for his wife and child, so he didn't want them near anything dangerous. There was a world in his hat that could connect to another world through another portal that had nothing but beaches. He brought Karenina there. Rumpelstiltskin had told him that the warmth and air and peace would be good for the baby.

So Jefferson left instructions for Peter to run the house while they stepped in every now and then to check in (Or sleep in their own bed). However most of the weeks were spent here. Jefferson entertained himself by catching up on several books and Karenina kept her training going by practicing with her weapons.

But today she was feeling achy…nearly eight months of pregnancy would do that. She occupied the spot next to him and dozed in and out of sleep. Her dress…which was called a beach dress was bunched at her thighs so that she could have free range of movement. Since she'd been pregnant, she spent most of the nights tossing and turning.

He put the book away and cuddled up to his wife. She smiled as he ran his fingertips up her bare thigh and kissed her shoulder, "Is she kicking?"

"He's very active," Karenina guided his hand over a spot where he felt his daughter move.

Jefferson always felt the thrill of excitement when Grace started moving under his touch. She'd first started kicking when they arrived at the beach. He and his wife had made love on the beach and spent the afternoon napping there before it got too hot. He'd had his arm strewn over her slightly expanded stomach and felt something brush against his arm. He'd panicked. He'd awakened his wife because he was convinced that something was wrong.

But when he explained what he'd felt, she just laughed. She told him the baby was kicking.

The only pregnant woman Jefferson had ever been around was the Hatter's wife that he'd apprenticed for. And he wasn't allowed to touch her stomach. It was inappropriate so he always thought that when a baby kicked…it would be a kick.

And now as he ran his hand over his wife's extremely expanded stomach (She looked like she ate two watermelons whole), he couldn't believe to time was almost here. It was so peaceful here….it was so quiet. He needed this. He and Karenina deserved this after the two miscarriages that they suffered.

His wife was happy here too. Maybe they could settle down….sell the house and dismiss the servants. Get enough money to live on for years and budget everything…maybe they could live here permanently.

No, that was impossible. HE knew that they were both only happy here because they both recognized it was temporary. They enjoyed it because it wouldn't last. They liked the city and their occupations far too much to actually settle down and not be bored.

Still…maybe he should consider it when they got older. When Grace was grown up and married or something….

He rubbed his wife's stomach lovingly. Karenina said his touch was what settled Grace down most of the time.

They could make plans. There would be time.

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When they arrived back home for the one day a week to gather messages and supplies, Jefferson was informed that he was invited to Northern Kingdom for a wedding anniversary and he WAS to attend.

He knew that he could lie. He could say he never received the message in time because he was portal jumping.

He wanted to go home and rest his feet in front of the fireplace with his wife next to him but _she _wanted to go to this little anniversary.

It was just Leopold and Regina's wedding anniversary and it wasn't like it was important. Who celebrated the day they got married every year anyway? Royals. He was never going to understand them.

So here they were, Jefferson held his wife's hand as they strolled casually down the palace halls. He had seen it all before but Karenina had not. He tried to keep his wife away from Regina. Since the queen had been corrupted, she'd been unpredictable. A mind going insane kept at bay by a mask of something between sadness and indifference.

Karenina put her hand on her swollen stomach and looked at the high arches. She'd been to a dozen different castles in her life except this one. For some reason, this place particularly excited her and she looked around in awe.

Karenina pulled him into the dining hall and looked at the food that was set out.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, a bit of worry taking over. She was starting to get further along now. Rumpelstiltskin did warn Jefferson to make her take it easy…

"I'm fine," she whispered and looked around. There was a small part of him that worried about her condition and there was another small part of him that was amused with how animated she was when she was actually excited and happy.

There were far more people here than there should be. He could've easily stayed home but his wife was worried that they would be missed.

"Your friend has offered us a place at her table," Karina said as he tried to weasel out of it the night before they left, "A queen. I want to go."

"You're just using this as an excuse to get out of the house," he pouted.

"We've been on a beach for months," She nudged him with her cold feet, "And it's starting to get harder to move. I'm not going to get out of the house later in the pregnancy and I'm most certainly not going to be able to do it when the baby's born. I want something to do-"

"The house is large enough; you can have plenty of things to do."

"Something new," she pouted in the way that he hated because it was how she got her way, "Let's just go. You might be able to find work there."

As if he was going to leave her alone now.

But he relented. Because he loved her and because he didn't want to hear her crying because he was certain that her hormones were far more excited about this than she really was.

And so here they were. He was dressed in his best heaviest long coat and she was wearing the only dress that she could fit in that was appropriate but they were clean and she'd even taken time to do her hair.

He guided his wife to their places at the table and he pulled out his chair for her. He didn't understand why Regina invited him to these things. Did she honestly think that they were friends? Or was she so miserable that she was going to lean on anyway and Rumpelstiltskin had already sent his invitation back with a threat for her if she ever sent one again?"

He noticed Karenina was looking a bit tired, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she took his hand and pressed her lips to the back of his palm.

He kissed hers as well and tightened the grip slightly, "I'm going to get us something to eat."

"Alright," she said and looked at him with an expression of love that made his stomach flutter and made him want to take her to find an empty closet somewhere.

But she was too far along for that. Although it would be amusing if they got caught.

He tugged on a strand of her hair playfully, "Don't run off with anyone while I'm gone."

"I'll try to restrain myself but King George over there is looking mighty tempting."

He frowned at the mental image that came with and walked to go make her a plate. He wasn't hungry, it was too hot to eat and castles always gave him a nervous stomach.

But she hadn't eaten in a few hours so he was going to make sure she had at least some of the healthy things they had to offer. It would probably be breakfast before they ate again and that was only if they travelled all night to get back home.

He filled the plate and walked back to where his wife sat staring at the dancers. Her hand travelled over her stomach and he was certain that he saw his daughter moving around in there.

"Grace giving you trouble?" he asked and placed the plate down in front of her.

"Little Jefferson just like his father," she corrected.

"I still don't think that you should name our baby after me if you're right and it's a son," he pouted and knelt beside her so that he was eye-level with her stomach, "We won't know who you're yelling at when you're angry."

"Oh, it'll be fine," she teased, "Chances are, I'll be angry at both of you."

He smiled and pressed his lips against hers. She returned the gesture and grabbed his face to hold him there for a second.

His daughter (He didn't care what she said) kicked under his touch and he popped a grape into his mouth, "Now honey, are you going to eat or am I going to have to deal with you stepping on my toes as I take you on that dance floor."

"Are you going to rub my swollen feet on the way home if we get up and waltz?" she asked.

"No darling, that's disgusting."

"Well then I suppose that I'll just have to force myself to eat," she grabbed a grape, only to have him swipe it and pop it in his own mouth. She gave him a playful push and nearly knocked him over.

He kept forgetting that while she was now eight months pregnant, she was still practically an amazon.

He pulled up the chair beside her and slipped his hand into hers again.

"Which one is the queen?" Karenina asked.

"The one at the end of the hall," He nodded to the large face where Regina sat alone. The crown she wore was obviously new, perhaps a gift from her husband but she looked like she would rather be anywhere else but there wearing it.

And from the look of the husband sitting next to her, he knew it as well.

"The scowling one?" Karenina craned her neck past the dancers to see.

Jefferson smiled at her and rubbed her back, "Yes,"

"She's…attractive I suppose," Karenina muttered and shot him a look.

"Nothing happened between us," he told her quickly, "And nothing ever will."

Karenina searched his face before settling back in the chair, content that he was telling her the truth.

From across the roof he saw Regina watching him. A look of envy toward them and longing for her boring looking true love evident on her face as she watched Jefferson and his wife interact. The glare she sent made his hair stand up on the back of his neck.

Instead he focused on the happy joyous look on his wife's face. That way, looking at Karenina, he didn't completely regret bringing her here.

She put her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her.

Undisturbed, they both watched the party.


	28. Chapter 28

Jefferson lay on his stomach, reading a book to his wife but he was hardly focusing. He kept one hand resting on her swollen stomach and she had both her hands on his. And little Grace was kicking him furiously. It was distracting and exciting all at the same time.

Any day now.

He had decided to keep Karenina home after they returned from Regina's palace. The baby would be born at any time and he wanted his servants to be there with him when the baby was born…he had no idea how to bring a child into this world. That's what the midwife was for.

Jefferson smiled slightly as he thought about holding his daughter (or son) in his arms. Karenina teased him that he was more excited than most of the house put together but he didn't care. He knew that she was excited too and he didn't regret her taking the potion. She could fight the Jabberwock he had no doubt about that. And then she might retire and they'd be together.

"Jefferson?"

"Hm?" he looked up for the 100th time from the book.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you that large family you always wanted."

He closed the book and moved to her side, "What you're giving me is more than enough."

He kissed her cheek. He'd have a happy healthy baby and wife over a hundred children any day.

Jefferson dimmed the lantern and moved back to his wife's side. Karenina also drew closer to him and slipped her hand into his.

He stared at his wife by the light of the fire for a few minutes and smiled, "I love you."

She smiled back at him and rested her hand on his face, "I love you too."

Grace kicked him again and he fell asleep. Content with his life.

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"Jefferson?"

He forced his eyes open and looked around confused, he felt like he just dropped off to sleep but the fire was out and he was certain that it was roaring a few minutes ago.

"Jefferson?"

Karenina's voice alerted him and he sat up, "What is it?"

He heard her give a cry of pain in the dark and he immediately felt for her clumsily in the dark. The servants were supposed to keep the fire going all night so that she could be warm and comfortable. SOMEONE was getting fired.

Something wet soaked his knee and his first thought was that his wife had been unable to get up to use the chamber pot, but then he remembered the two times that Marie had gone into childbirth when he was a guest at Jacques house and he realized with a bit of dread that her water had broken.

"Jefferson!" she said in alarm and he turned over to light the lantern.

When he could see a bit better, he rolled over back to his wife and put a comforting hand in hers, "Shh. It's alright, I'm here. Grace is just on her way."

"Couldn't little Jefferson make it a bit less pain free for his mother?" she demanded and he watched as the sheets became even more soaked.

"I'll get the midwife," he said. He'd been with Marie both times she went into labor but that didn't make it any more comfortable for him to watch his own wife going through the same process.

He had so much to do! He had to get the midwife…no…first he needed to get a fire going to make sure Karenina was warm…no…first he needed to make sure that she was comfortable before he moved to the fire. A servant could build a fire; he could help her change nightgowns and arrange the pillows so that she was as comfortable as one could almost be when they were leaking gross stuff all over the mattress.

He was in such a rush that his legs got tangled in the blanket and he tumbled face first on the floor. Karenina gasped and struggled to sit up to make sure that he was alright but other than a gash on his head, he was certain he'd live through whatever injuries he had.

"I'm fine!" he told her before she could ask and scrambled up, "I'm getting the midwife!"

"Don't leave me here by myself!" she cried after him.

Oh right, servants, he had those.

He rang frantically for Peter and had him send for the midwife. And in the time waiting for her, he had the servants draw a warm bath in the tub as to the specifications that the midwife had set when he hired her. Jefferson himself spent the time waiting for them by holding his wife and saying nothing as she nearly crushed his hand. He kept forgetting that she was so strong.

Finally the elderly midwife swept in and glared at him, "You leave now."

Like he was going to miss his daughter getting born. He scoffed and dug his heels in the ground, as if he could change her order by sheer force of will.

The midwife glared at him, "I cannot work with you in here. Most husbands just get in the way."

"Someone needs to hold her hand."

"Your female servant can do that..."

Karenina looked at him, "Go."

He looked at her in surprise, "Are you sure/"

"Someone needs to make sure everything's in order so little Jefferson doesn't have any problems when he's born. Go ahead and go."

She was just trying to get rid of him by giving him something to do. He knew that but arguing with the midwife wasn't going to make her happy and with the pain she seemed to be in, he may as well surrender so GRACE could be born faster.

He gave a gentle kiss to his wife's forehead and walked out the door, walked to his study, sat down….

…and pouted.

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Jefferson wasn't sure how Rumpelstiltskin knew about the baby's birthing. He wasn't even sure he invited him, but sure enough when Jefferson left the study; shaved and washed his face and went to his daughter's small nursery…to prepare himself for being a father, Rumpelstiltskin and that cursed spinning wheel was waiting for him when he returned.

"What do you want?" he asked in surprise. Did Rumpelstiltskin really have to bring that thing with him? Jefferson could barely get around him.

"Well dearie, I did help you two get together and I did provide you both with what you needed to spark that little life growing inside your wife's belly, it would be rude to stay away now."

Jefferson felt a fear growing inside his stomach, settling like a stone, "You're here for your end of the bargain?

"Not yet, dearie, not yet. It'll be quite some time before I ask you both to pay on your end."

Karenina's scream reached Jefferson's ears and he turned to go to her side. He didn't care what the midwife said; he only had her deliver the baby to make Karenina happy. He'd trust Rumpelstiltskin to deliver the child before he'd trust someone he didn't know.

"I wouldn't do that," Rumpelstiltskin said in a sing song voice.

"She needs me."

"You don't need to see your wife like that, if you don't faint from the excitement, fear, or the sight of her…giving birth and the baby coming out of there, then you're going to have to hear her cursing your name and calling you every foul word she can think of and blaming you for getting her pregnant. It's what most do when in the pains of labor. Horrifying to participate in and hilarious to watch for everyone else."

"I should still be there."

"She will ask for you, if she needs you," Rumpelstiltskin assured him without looking up, "You showed a desire to be in there and if she wishes to break your hand then she'll demand you're in there. Though trust me, it's not where you want to be."

"But what happens if something goes wrong?" Jefferson asked, "What happens if she or the baby dies?"

"They won't die, dearie. I won't let them."

Jefferson tensed, of course he wouldn't let his investment get hurt and he most certainly wouldn't let the child die either, since that was his payment to them for their future services.

"Sit down," Rumpelstiltskin snapped and started turning the wheel again, "All your fidgeting is making me nervous."

Jefferson plopped next to him and bounced his heel on the ground. Rumpelstiltskin ground his teeth but endured it while he spun straw into gold. Most of the thread went into a jar.

"What's that for?" Jefferson asked.

"Your child," Rumpelstiltskin said.

Jefferson frowned. Him knowing the gender ahead of time would've been nice.

More silence. More bouncing.

Finally, that morning, Karenina stopped screaming and a baby's wail reached his ears.

He didn't give Rumpelstiltskin time to make one of his remarks. He jumped up and raced towards the room and nearly barreled into Annabelle on the stairs. He gripped the woman's shoulders, "Yes?"

"It's a girl."

IT didn't matter what Annabelle would've said. He felt tears form in his eyes and he kissed her cheek, "Can I see her?"

"Not yet, they're being cleaned up."

"Are they okay?"

"They're fine," Annabelle promised him, "They're both strong. You can see them in a few moments."

Jefferson put his folded hands in front of his mouth and turned to run down the stairs. He had to tell someone. He didn't care if it WAS Rumpelstiltskin.

The imp was waiting on the stairs, "I have a daughter! Her name is Grace!"

"Wonderful," Rumpelstiltskin gave a high pitched giggle, "Then my side of the bargain is complete!"

And Jefferson's blood went cold, "How long until you force us to complete our end of the bargain?"

"Well time is so relative…"

"How long?!" Jefferson demanded.

"Not anytime soon dearie," Rumpelstiltskin said, "You have time yet."

Jefferson was about to demand an actual answer but the imp disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Bloody imp.

"Jefferson."

He turned toward Annabelle and saw that she was carrying something small, wrapped up in a green blanket. Jefferson felt the air leave his lungs and he stumbled forward for the daughter, _his _daughter that was lost in the folds of the blanket.

When the Annabelle brought Jefferson his newborn daughter, he hadn't quite anticipated the love and protectiveness that would wash over him as soon as he held the little bundle. She couldn't be his. Not this little thing.

She was so small…so helpless…she couldn't even support her own (Rather large) head of hers. She needed him.

Someone that completely relied on him…it was a feeling that he couldn't even remotely begin to understand but he automatically accepted it accepted it.

"Hi Grace," he whispered. Grace was his daughter and as she lay in his arms, he promised her that he'd give her anything that she wanted. He'd send her to the best schools, get her the best clothes, the best toys…if the nursery hadn't been set up already and his wife wouldn't protest, he'd move them to the small room next to the master bedroom and Grace could have the biggest room in the house.

He smiled joyfully at his daughter, any fears that he had about being a good father were gone. He could do this. He was certain of it.

"Has she eaten?" he asked.

"Yes," Annabelle said.

"And my wife?" he asked while rubbing a knuckle down his daughter's face.

"The lady is resting."

Jefferson nodded, "And she's…"

"She is doing well, sir. She's just resting. Your wife is strong; the midwife said that she'll easily recover."

Grace's eyes started to droop and he reluctantly handed her back to Annabelle. Just for a quick moment, "I'll see her now."

He walked down the hall and opened up the door to the master bedroom. The servants that the midwife brought with her were draining the water in the tub that they'd brought with them; he ignored them for the most part and smiled when he saw his beautiful wife. She was in the bed and changed into a nightgown. They'd replaced the damaged mattress with a new one and she was already trying to find a place to get comfortable. Ayna rebraided her hair.

She looked so tired. But there was a glow about her that made him love her even more.

"She's beautiful," he said and crawled gently on the bed so he didn't jar her. Karenina smiled at him and rested her hand on his face. He kissed her wrist and then her, "And she's strong, and it's going to be alright."

He hoped that he made his intention clear. There was no hint of regret about giving her his go ahead to take the potion that Rumpelstiltskin had given her to make sure that Grace was conceived, carried to term and born healthy. Whatever monster Rumpelstiltskin called on her to face later would be defeated. They would face it as they'd always done since they were married.

He took his wife's hands and held them against his chest, "I have to pay the midwife and let the servants see the baby…and then I'll be back."

"You won't get angry if I fall asleep without you, will you?" she teased.

"Of course I will," he teased back, "Between you and me, "I" Think I had the hardest job."

She smiled and kissed him again.

Jefferson stood up and dimmed the lantern, the midwife's assistants were already gone, they wouldn't bother her.

He would take the servants to see the baby first. The midwife could meet them in there.

Anything to see his daughter again.


	29. Chapter 29

Grace was only three days old and Jefferson feared he'd turned soft.

Try as he might, he couldn't sleep unless he knew that Grace was asleep as well. Every time he woke up in the night, he'd creep down the hallway to make sure that she was safe and just…to watch his sleeping little daughter. She was so tiny…like one of the porcelain dolls that he'd paid out of the nose to get for her that now sat on the shelf.

How did something so innocent come from them?

He leaned lightly on the crib and watched her sleep. She kept her fist tucked up underneath her chin and her yawn…she had the cutest yawn. He always felt his heart melt when he saw her do it.

He smiled down at his daughter and tucked her in; he was going to be the best father imaginable. He was going to give her so much. He wasn't going to take dangerous work anymore. He was going to take easy work that paid well thanks to his reputation. He might even start renting out the houses to the other worlds. Like a vacation sort of thing. Tired of this world? Go to the next for a limited time.

Now there was an idea. Oh, and he could take Grace to the safe worlds…teach her the different cultures and show her things that most children could only hope to dream about. Give her everything that he was refused as a child.

He heard the door open behind him and the light from the lantern in the hallway filled the room, "Please tell me she's not hungry again, love. I feel like I just fed her an hour ago."

"You did," he reached behind him and rubbed his wife's hip when she leaned against his back.

"Why are you up?" she asked, he could hear the sleep still in her voice.

"Couldn't sleep," He whispered, "And keep your voice down, you'll wake Grace."

"Well why should she get privileges that we don't?" Karenina muttered sarcastically and buried her face in her husband's back.

"Go back to bed;" He told her, "I'll get the wet nurse to feed her when she wakes up."

"We don't need a wet nurse. She's just draining our resources," Karenina muttered for what felt like the hundredth time, "I'm perfectly capable of staying up for my daughter when it comes time to feed her."

He could hear her drifting off and he realized that he was the only thing holding her up, "I'll wake you when Grace is hungry."

"Mm," she muttered, "I can't sleep in there without you."

He scoffed, "What?"

"It appears that the two years we've been married, I've grown a bit attached and now when I reach for you and find the empty covers, it feels off. This never happened before I got married so I'm going to blame you, I hope that's alright."

"Anything you want dear, Rumpelstiltskin said that no matter what, I should always agree with you."

"Mm," she mused again, "There's a reason why Rumpelstiltskin isn't married. Us women see that manure a mile away."

Jefferson suppressed a giggle, "Imagine him being married…ugh, the wedding night…"

She snickered under her breath, "Some women like him like that."

Jefferson's smile turned into a frown, "Not you, right?"

"Oh honey, if I admired him like that then I assure you that he and I would currently be in this situation and not you and me."

And now he was imagining his lovely wife and Rumpelstiltskin sharing…comfort. Wonderful. HE couldn't wait till he forgot about that mental image and it was hopefully soon.

His wife did need her rest though, she just had a baby.

He turned and wrapped his arms around her, "Come on, I'll lay with you until you fall asleep."

It didn't take Karenina long after he got her in the bed. And as soon as she was, he was back at the crib…memorizing every detail of his child's face again.

And while he stared at her, he made her every promise that he could think of.

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When Grace was a week old, Rumpelstiltskin sent an announcement that he was making an official visit to see the baby. Karenina went into a panic. Rumpelstiltskin had promised Jefferson that he wouldn't come for her for a while. Karenina didn't listen to him. She didn't believe that he viewed time the same way as them. He was 300 years old. What he thought of as ten minutes could be a year to them.

Jefferson didn't believe that, but at his wife's panic, he felt unease too.

Karenina had the servants clean the house from top to bottom. She forced Jefferson to stand still as they fitted him for a new suit. He didn't know why. He wasn't sure what was wrong with the other ones he had but Karenina ran the house and he was not in the mood to get into a fight with her while she was like this.

On the last day of the week, they were standing at the foot of the stairs and Jefferson was squirming. He looked at his wife, who was dressed in a maroon and black dress to match his clothes, "This is a little tight on my backside."

"Why do you think I had it made that way?"

He smiled as Rumpelstiltskin's carriage came into the property, "That's my woman."

Karenina smiled and gave a little blush as the carriage came to a stop. The door opened thanks to Rumpelstiltskin's magic and he came out. He was dressed up as reds and golds and a deep red over coat covered most of him in case the overcast skies let loose.

"Oh my dearies," he said in faux awe, "Did you really line up your servants for me?"

Jefferson fought not to roll his eyes, The imp had practically hinted that he wanted it that way, "Well official invitation does mean that everything has to be clean and organized in your definition of the term."

Rumpelstiltskin turned around from his inspection of the pale servants, "That was when you lived with me, dearie!"

Karenina looked up at him with amusement, "Was he a tyrant host?"

"You should have seen how he acted when he saw my room in any kind of disarray," Jefferson whispered and kissed her temple, "Acted like I was ready to burn the house down."

"Well, it was the chambers for the wife or mistress dearie, it always had to look good."

Karenina's eyes widened in surprise and she smirked.

"It wasn't like that!" Jefferson protested and felt the heat crawl to his cheeks. What was with Rumpelstiltskin and his never-ending mission to embarrass him in front of his wife.

"Well," Rumpelstiltskin said when he got the reaction that he wanted from Jefferson, "I'm impressed with it all."

He just barely glanced at him.

"Now let's see that baby I helped both of you make."

And Jefferson blushed again when the servants broke from their still postures to look at he and Karenina incredulously.

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Rumpelstiltskin stood over Grace's crib and Jefferson felt very uncomfortable that someone was in here that wasn't he, his wife, or the servants. He tried to ease himself by saying that Rumpelstiltskin wouldn't hurt Grace. He'd never hurt a child that Jefferson was aware of but that didn't help to stop the unease.

Karenina stood on the other side of him. She'd learned from the other women in this part of the city how to be a good host…well they weren't invited to many parties. Jefferson was certainly invited to more before he got married.

But the parties they did attend; she sat back and she observed and now that the most powerful being in the Enchanted Forest was visiting, she played her part to perfection.

"I do believe she resembles you, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin said.

Jefferson wasn't sure which one he was talking to.

Karenina started reaching into the crib, "Would you like to hold her?"

"No Karenina," he stepped back, "Babies tend not to like me very much…but thank you for your offer."

Karenina held Grace in her arms instead. Jefferson moved to stand next to her protectively. Grace stared at her father and Jefferson smiled at his daughter and rested a hand on the side of her face.

"My, my," Rumpelstiltskin watched the little family interact, "You two have certainly come far from what you started out with. I am very…proud of you. Well, I'm also proud of me as well since I was the one that put you two together…but I digress. It does make me genuinely happy to see the two of you so taken with each other."

"Thank you Rumpelstiltskin," Karenina said and looked back down at the baby.

He stared at them for a few more seconds, "Grace will be five…when I come for you."

Karenina looked up. Jefferson drew a breath of relief. Five years was a long ways off. Maybe he could talk him out of it before then.

Karenina gave a nod of respect, "Thank you, Rumpelstiltskin."

He gave a wry smile, "Well, these are the most important years of Grace's life after all. We can't have you missing a moment of them."


	30. Chapter 30

Having a baby was way different than having a pet.

When Grace wanted something she cried. When she was hungry she cried. When it was time to change her, she cried.

She learned a long time ago that he was the softer parent and she exploited that (his clever little girl) by appealing to him. She knew just the whimper she needed to use to make him rush to her side and pull her out of his cradle.

Changing, he could do. Attention, he could give. He just couldn't feed her. Karenina got up twice at night…sometimes three times to feed Grace. Jefferson, whenever his daughter awakened him, sometimes got up before his wife could and brought her to the bed. It was cold at night, he didn't want Karenina to catch a chill.

One evening, when Grace turned six weeks old was particularly chilly. Karenina was laying on her back on the couch with their daughter sleeping on her stomach. Jefferson skimmed a book and kept sneaking little glances to his family. His wife was staring at the ceiling, her mind was elsewhere while she rubbed her daughter's back.

Grace always fell asleep when Karenina held her. When he held her, she lit up and got excited and fought exhaustion because she knew he'd give her anything.

He smiled at her, "What are you thinking about?"

"Things."

He crawled off the chair and crept over to her, "What sorts of things?"

"Hm," she kissed him, "Things we need to talk about."

"Oh, sounds serious," he grazed her ear with his teeth and tugged. They hadn't done this since before Grace was born. Six weeks had passed, he was certain that she was healed now.

"I got a message today."

"Yeah?" he slipped his hand on his daughter's head and made sure she was asleep so she didn't see this little show and become traumatized. When he was certain that she was, he seductively ran his hand down his wife's hip. She'd had that look all day, he was more than willing to entertain her.

"There's a werewolf in a city to the west…I was asked for my expertise."

Jefferson's hand froze and he withdrew it. So that was that look she had, "Oh."

She looked a bit upset at his reaction, "We talked about this. Several times."

"We did," he said quietly, "It's just easier to say that I support you in wanting to monster hunt after Grace is born rather than actually honestly wanting you to do it."

"It won't be that much," she promised, "But you're not giving up your career…why should I? Especially when my job is the price Rumpelstiltskin wants for our daughter's birth."

He fought the urge to argue with his wife. They'd talked about it, he'd voiced his support. It'd be wrong to go back on that now. He wanted her safe and he knew that she understood that but he also knew her desire to stay in shape. She told him that it was far easier to say at the top of her game fighting a monster than it was to just practice for the next five years. He didn't understand that but if that was how his wife worked, then that was how she did it. Who was he to argue?

"Karenina," he could convince her not to if he tried hard enough. But he knew that she wouldn't be happy. Her job was important for both them when the time came to pay their debt and a villageful of people that were innocent.

"Jefferson?" her hand slipped in his.

"Is this what you want?" He checked on his daughter again and looked back at his wife, "Because if it's just what you feel like you have to do…

Karenina smiled and nodded, "It's what I want."

He kissed her again, "Then I'll support you."

Karenina looked relieved, "I don't deserve you."

"I know," he kissed her bare shoulder, where he'd slipped her shirt down, "Just…be careful okay, you know I can't do this father thing without you."

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While Grace gurgled on their bed, Jefferson paced as his wife shoved a blanket in her pack and closed it, "How long will it take?"

"Three days," Karenina strapped the bag on her back, "I'll send word if it's longer."

"Will it be dangerous?"

"It's always dangerous, sweetie," Karenina lifted her daughter and gave her an affectionate kiss, "But I'll be with a group of people. I'll be safe. Anyway, Rumpelstiltskin won't let anything happen to me, I'm an investment."

"Don't get arrogant now," he told her, "There are plenty of other monster hunters that can fight a jabberwock."

"But none of them are under his employ," reluctance passed her face as she set her daughter down. She quickly covered it up with a smirk, "How do I look?"

"Not sure you're in shape yet," he grabbed her belt and pulled her closer, "Maybe I should take a closer look."

Karenina dramatically rolled her eyes as he wrapped his arms around and he kissed her stomach, "Gods, take away the ability to make love for a few month and you act like a dog in heat."

"You don't have to go this early…you said hunts never start on time."

"Yes, but if we do this now, I won't have anything to look forward to when I get home."

"Please, we can reconnect then too," his hand teased the bottom of her shirt, "I'm sure it'll take a few times before we get in the swing of things."

"Oh tempting," she kissed the top of his head, "But I just got dressed."

"Well this way, I won't have to worry about you being bit by that thing and growing body hair right in the middle of our sessions."

She burst out laughing, "How romantic!"

Grace gurgled again. Karenina froze and looked behind her. He felt her tense in his arms. The playful light in her eyes faded, "Karenina, Talk to me."

"I don't want to leave her," she admitted.

"You don't have to," he rubbed her hip. It wasn't sensual this time, it was just meant for comfort

"I have to," she said and gave him another kiss, "You know that. My instincts need to stay what they were before I got pregnant."

He nodded, "I know."

Karenina bit her lip and looked at Grace again. She stared at her for the longest time, "When Rumpelstiltskin said that he'd find me a husband…I expected us to maybe tolerate each other at the most as we used the other for our own agenda but what he's given me…what you've given me…it's more than what I asked for. I hope you know that. I just wanted you to know that no one's ever loved me the way that you have. I never expected to come to love you and appreciate you like I do. I just thought you should know that."

Jefferson felt very vulnerable and he wondered if maybe he should say something…but no words came…no matter how much he wanted to, he could never put it into words how much he had come to love her as well. Several times, he wondered how he lived without her at his side; trying to outsass him and taking his eccentricities in stride

He pulled her in for a tight embrace. She returned it and they held each other for a few minutes. The clock in the middle of town rang and he felt her pull away. She wiped a tear from her eye, "Well," she whispered, "Back to work."

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Three days just…crawled by.

He received letters from his wife. On the second day he received two. She told him she missed him and she loved him and to kiss Grace for her (he did). She also told him that she as worried about just how trained this group was. One was a boy about sixteen. She told him that she was reminded of herself at that age. She thought he was too naïve though, and that made what would happen unpredictable. She wondered if he'd ever even seen someone killed because if he had not then he might freeze up. Reality would set in and he could get them all killed.

Karenina may have been good with speeches about love but she was horrid at easing his mind for life and death missions.

The third day was the worst day. He kept checking the window from his study but the gate never opened.

Grace sensed his unease and grew fussy. It was too chilly to move her outside to wait with him so he was confined to the warm house with her father.

He tried to read but he couldn't focus, he tried to write and answer messages but when he struggled with focusing on a letter for an hour and then realized he'd written the wrong name in the heading, he gave up on that as well. He tried to watch the window for any sign of his wife or a messenger.

Lunch, he didn't eat. Maybe something was wrong….maybe she was killed.

Oh yeah, because Rumpelstiltskin would allow that.

After lunch, he tried laying down for a nap with Grace. However, she wasn't tired. She could still sense his unease and barely catnapped, much less had a nap. So his afternoon was then spent with a tired fussy baby.

Gods, he wished Karenina agreed to getting a nanny but she didn't see the need for it. He had only rehired the wet nurse for Karenina's absence.

The afternoon was exhausting and he managed to eat something for dinner.

The evening wore on…Annabelle put Grace to bed. He retired to the study and tried to focus again as it grew dark. The only thing that lit up the room was the fire.

One by one, he heard the servants go to bed. The house was silent.

This was actually sort of nice, he should do this more often.

If it was a bit warmer, then he might've fallen asleep. The exhaustion was creeping into his bones. The chill made him want to seek his warm bed but his wife wasn't home yet.

It was past midnight when he heard the door open. Immediately he grabbed the lantern and lit it up. He stumbled over the ottoman as he raced to the door (who put that thing there?) but regained his balance.

His wife was filthy. She was covered in mud and dirt and she sort of smelled like sheep.

But gods, she was still beautiful.

Karenina looked around and then looked at him, "You waited up for me."

"I always do," he said.

Karenina moved forward and slammed her lips against his. Her breathing hitched as he returned the affection. He put the lantern down and drew her closer against him. He could feel her hands tease the buttons of his vest. Without a word, he pulled back and grabbed her hand. She squeezed it as he led her upstairs, "I'm sort of filthy."

"I don't care," he replied. They would draw a bath when they got to the room if it came to it if it was needed.

But now they would celebrate. His wife was home and she was safe.

"I want to check on Grace first," she whispered as they made it to the landing.

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"I wanted to get a message out to you," Karenina told him as they laid in bed a couple of hours later. Her hair was dropping wet from the bath that he'd drawn for her, "But our guide got eaten…and the other guide rode off with all the horses and we had to walk."

"But you got the wolf?"

Karenina smiled and ran her hand over her husband's bare stomach. She was glowing and happy and while he may not approve of her work, it was nice to see her enjoying it. He knew tomorrow the ache in her body would set in…and he'd be more than willing to take care of her, "Yeah, we got him."

Jefferson kissed his wife. He waited until she returned the gesture before he rolled over on her to continue their previous activities.

Grace started crying down the hall.

Jefferson felt his wife rest her hands on his chest and push him back gently, "I better-."

"They don't know you're home," he whispered, "Grace can be attended to by the wet nurse."

"Jefferson please," she sat up as he pouted. She pulled on her robe, "There'll be time for more of this later."

But if there was a time for it later, it certainly wasn't that night. Karenina brought Grace to the cradle in their room so that she could sleep better knowing that their daughter was close by.

Jefferson rubbed his wife's back as they cuddled under the covers and tried to drift off to sleep. He'd have to tell Annabelle to sew new buttons on his and Karenina's shirts that were laying on the floor. He wasn't sure there were any buttons left on there…he'd tell Annabelle at breakfast.

Because his wife was going to be hurting once she woke up, and the good husband that he was…he was going to serve her breakfast in bed.


	31. Chapter 31

Jefferson stretched his leg out and watched as Grace squealed and tried to slam her head against it in an attempt to hug him. At six months old, she was going to be a heartbreaker. She had dark eyes…Jefferson wasn't sure where she got that…and her hair was starting to grow in. She was going to be blonde headed…like her mother.

Jefferson couldn't be happier than he was right now…with his wife beside him and his daughter learning to crawl around him…or more like scooting. She looked at everything as a challenge. She tried to roll over his legs because they were an obstacle. Once she'd plummeted over and slammed face first on the floor and screamed and cried until he held her.

And then she tried to crawl over his legs again. Stubbornness; another quality he liked to think she got from her mother.

She tried to scoot over his legs and he grabbed her and placed her firmly in his lap.

Grace squirmed and leg out an indignant scream over her loss of freedom. Karenina cringed next to him and accidently stuck him with her pin. He gasped and glared at his wife, "That hurt."

"Sorry!"

"Karenina, I don't see why you're doing this! We have Annabelle for getting our clothes made!"

"Annabelle has enough on her plate," Karenina continued setting his sleeves back, "I want to learn!"

"Your hands were better made for weapons."

"Yes dear," she said and accidently stuck him again, "Sorry."

Grace thought her father's pain was the funniest thing and clapped her hands.

Karenina smirked and Jefferson gave a faux scowl to his daughter, "Traitor."

Grace started giggling so much her face turned red.

"And here I was spoiling you to get you on my side," Jefferson pouted and kissed one of his daughter's chubby cheeks. She returned the affection by giving him a slobbery one of his own. He lifted his arm up and wiped the spit away, "Gross!"

"Now honey, she's going to think you're wiping her love away and it'll give her a mental scar," Karenina said, clearly enjoying his discomfort. He scowled again and allowed his daughter to roll backwards. She laughed again at the rush…she was such a happy baby. And when he was done, he pulled her up she looked at Karenina and grinned, "MAMA!"

Karenina stopped and Jefferson felt the air being driven from his lungs…

"Did she say her first word?" Karenina asked and then broke out into an excited grin

No! It couldn't be! He'd been coaching her to say 'papa' for months!

Grace almost looked like she was gloating and she gave a more confidant, "mama!"

"Grace asked for me!" Karenina practically squealed and kissed her husband on the cheek. She blew a raspberry on Grace to get her giggling again (now Jefferson knew where Grace learned to give slobbery kisses) and she stood up, I'm going to go tell Annabelle!"

Jefferson looked at his daughter…was that a smirk? Was his wife and his daughter going to team up on him?

"Traitor," he muttered again

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Grace turned a year old and Jefferson and Karenina agreed the birthday would be quiet. He wouldn't have a large party in his house with people that he hardly tolerated looking in all his rooms at the riches he had

Jefferson _wanted _to take his family to the beach. Then he remembered that Grace was at the age where EVERYTHING went in her mouth and he didn't want half the beach ending up in her digestive system.

Maybe when she was older. That way she could enjoy the experience as much as they did.

He bought his daughter several toys including one that was a white rabbit toy that Grace automatically took to. Her arms went around the rabbit and she didn't let go. She wanted it with her all day.

Karenina and Louie made her a cake and most of Grace's piece ended up on her face and hair. Karenina smiled at her daughter and kissed her face, "I'll get her ready for her bath."

"I'll be in the study," he told his wife. It wasn't so much a study anymore as it was a family playroom. They spent most of their evenings in there either reading or playing with Grace. It'd been a year since Grace was born…and other than a few bumps between him and his wife (mostly due to their work as well as their lack of sleep at the beginning) he was still content with his life. He had heard about husbands that sometimes fantasized about being single and childless again but he wouldn't. He wouldn't trade this for the world. Going into that misery again would be….horrifying. He couldn't imagine his life without Karenina and Grace, he didn't know how he survived.

Karenina came into the study with his clean daughter an hour later and placed her on the floor to crawl. She sat on the couch with him with a sigh and smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. She pulled the blanket around them both and closed her eyes, "Wake me if she tries to crawl into the fireplace."

"Hm," he mused and kissed her forehead, "A floor full of toys and she usually wants to go for the most dangerous thing."

"Just like her father."

"Excuse me," he teased, "Who is the monster hunter of this relationship?"

Karenina yawned, reached up his shirt and ran her hand across his stomach. Jefferson's eyes widened, "Karenina! Not in front of Grace!"

"Sorry," she said, "Teasing you helps me stay awake . I'm not sure you know how hard it is to chase after an energetic curious baby, listen to Louie's rants and learn how to make a cake that's edible and pretty to look at."

"Well, your work paid off," Jefferson rubbed her back. He didn't add that perhaps she had put in too much sugar…they were going to be up with Grace for half the night.

He watched his daughter grab the ottoman and pull herself up. He remembered when she first did that. He ran from room to room to tell his servants. Everything Grace did usually resulted in one of them running room to room to tell the servants. If any of their clients saw their childlike excitement over everything their daughter did, they'd never get work again.

"Usually does," Karenina muttered and opened her eyes to see where Grace was.

"Oh, was that something dirty?" he teased.

"Husband, you have a filthy mind."

"It's because I married you."

He trailed off as Grace toddled forward a few steps away from the ottoman by herself. Grace looked unsure of herself and she plopped down five steps in.

A beat passed and Jefferson and Karenina reacted immediately. Jefferson struggled to get to his feet to see to his daughter. Karenina grabbed him and shook him excitedly, "Did you see that? Did you see it?"

"Honey, it was hard to miss," he pulled away. Gods, he kept forgetting he married a woman built like an amazon. Grace struggled to get to her feet again and Jefferson was never so proud of her as he was of this moment. He grabbed his wife and planted a passionate kiss on her that spoke of what they would do when they got Grace down for the night.

The kiss took her back for a second and he scrambled up and scooped up his daughter, "I'm going to wake up Peter and Annabelle and tell them that Grace took her first steps!"


	32. Chapter 32

Jefferson spent so long in his house that he knew the creaks and groans like the back of his hand. He'd been there so long that he could tell at any part of this which doors were being opened and which windows were being opened at any time if he was listening hard enough.

So, it was pure luck during one stormy night after Grace was two that he heard his front door open. His eyes shot open and he sat up. Perhaps it was just his imagination, that time between being awake and dropping off to sleep could be tricky. Once he'd thought Karenina called him a foul word and he woke her up to call her one back. She slammed a pillow against his face. He wasn't sure what for; waking her up or calling her a bad name.

But no…something was wrong. He could feel it.

He pushed the covers back and grabbed the knife he kept at his bedside. He had to keep it sheathed now. Grace was such a curious little thing and she always seemed to find the dangerous things.

Karenina stirred at the shaking bed and lifted her head, "Sweetheart, what is it?"

"Nothing," he kissed her cheek, "Go to sleep."

He crept out of the room with his knife at the defensive position. Karenina had taught him a lot in the three years they'd been married. He liked to think himself a full-fledged warrior sometimes but she usually laughed at him.

He didn't see what was funny.

Luckily, all these years in this house also taught him how to navigate his house in the dark. He kept his breathing quiet and listened to the noises around the house. He made his way to the front of the house and saw that the door was left open. Lightning flashed and Jefferson saw someone leaning against the front table.

He maneuvered his way down the stairs and held his knife up, "Don't move."

The figure immediately turned and swung his right arm. Jefferson raised the knife to block the blow in the most painful way possible but for some reason metal clinked on metal, the intruder spun his arm and the knife was yanked out of his grip.

"Not very good at that, are you?" a familiar voice taunted.

"No," His wife said behind the intruder, "But I am."

Jefferson lit the lantern and saw that it was who he thought it was. Hook was standing there. Karenina had dropped from the stair well and now had a knife at Hook's through.

"I told you to go back to bed, "Jefferson scolded.

"I never listen to you," Karenina said and pulled Hook's hair back so his head was resting on her shoulder. Oh wait, that wasn't her goal, it was exposing his jugular.

He gave her a tired flirty look, "Motherhood looks beautiful on you, love."

Jefferson's eyes adjusted and he gave the pirate a onceover, when he saw what he was looking at, he paled, "Karenina."

"What?"

The pirate was bleeding from his torso, the way he was holding his gut; it suggested that his hand was the only thing that held his insides in.

The pirate gave another smile, "I pissed off Rumpelstiltskin again."

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Jefferson and Peter carried the pirate toward the dining room table. Karenina was ahead of them. She shoved every vase and plate off the table to make room for the pirate.

"I'll need needle and thread," Karenina told Annabelle, "Some of the strongest thread you have. And all the alcohol in the kitchen. Get Louie on that."

Jefferson held the pirate's stomach in place. They were going to lose him if they didn't hurry…and while Jefferson wasn't sure that wouldn't be a bad thing; he knew that they should at least try to keep him alive. He was a paying customer.

"Get towels," he told Peter," All the towels and rags you can find."

"And my bag," Karenina said, "It's in my closet."

"And Karenina's bag," Jefferson repeated.

Karenina grabbed the pirate's face with one of her bloody hands and forced him to look at her, "Killian, I need you to stay awake."

"You said my real name," Killian mused. His eyes were glazing over.

Karenina shook him again, "Killian, if you pass out on me, I can't tell if you're alive or not."

"Has anyone ever told you that you look pretty in this light? Of course I think you look pretty in every light."

"I'm sure you tell all the girls that," Jefferson muttered.

Karenina looked up at him, "Do you know how this is done?"

Jefferson nodded, "I ran with Rumpelstiltskin for quite a long time, sweetie. I've seen what he does. Yeah, I know how surgeries like this are done.

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He pulled through the surgery by some miracle and by morning, h was laying bandaged and unmoving on the couch in the study.

Karenina washed the blood off her hands, "Keep the fire going. We'll want to burn the fever out when it comes."

Annabelle bought Karenina a dress and the men left the room except for Jefferson. Annabelle pulled Karenina's hair over her shoulder and started helping her out of the blood-soaked nightgown that she'd performed surgery in.

"When did you become a doctor?" Jefferson teased.

"Once a spirit cut open a man similar to the way Hook was cut open. I was a student under my father's teaching at the time so it was something I had to learn and one of those things that you _never _forget."

Jefferson looked at the pale pirate lying on his couch and he looked at his wife, "He said Rumpelstiltskin did that to him."

"I know," Karenina whispered.

"Do you realize what that imp will do to us if that's true?"

"Well what else were we supposed to do?" Karenina asked, "Let him die? Their rivalry is their rivalry and that's up to them to handle. As far as I care, a paying customer came to us for help and we helped him. His personal enemies are not our business."

Jefferson glanced at him again, "That man's practically on death's doorstep, are you sure we helped him?"

"We did out part," Karenina slipped into the dress and moved her hair out of the way so that Annabelle could lace the back, "It's up to him now."

"Hi!"

Both Jefferson and Karenina's head shot towards the study as they heard their daughter's voice.

Oh gods, both had forgotten about Grace

The pirate opened his eyes just barely and smiled, "Hello."

Grace crept closer, she held her stuffed white rabbit against her chest as if it could protect her and she pointed to his stump, "Where's your hand?"

"It was taken from me," he told her.

"Are you hurt?" Grace asked with wide eyes.

Jefferson's legs were moving towards the study. Get his daughter away from them; get his daughter away from him. Get his daughter away from him….

"Yes little one, I got hurt."

"When I'm hurt, my mommy kisses it and makes it better."

Killian smirked at that, "I keep trying to get your mommy to kiss me and make it better but she refuses."

"Okay, that's enough of that," Jefferson swept up his daughter, "Grace, what are you doing up?"

"I got hungry," she said," And no one was there."

Leave it to his daughter to think about her stomach.

"Well the dining room is sort of off limits right now," he told her, "Wanna eat outside?"


	33. Chapter 33

By some miracle, Hook started to get his strength back and the more he stayed awake, the more he talked.

Jefferson wanted to gag him.

"Well," Hook said and smiled flirtatiously at Karenina as she changed his bandages. Jefferson looked on, "If anything, this will get the ladies to feel sympathetic to me, yes?"

"I wouldn't know," Karenina said, "I don't speak for other women."

"Such strong hands," he complimented and smirked at Jefferson, who just rolled his eyes.

"Thank you," Karenina said, "They're useful for breaking bones."

Hook paled much to Jefferson's glee. He folded his arms and smirked, "So Killian, what did you do to get on Rumpelstiltskin's bad side this time?"

"Does it matter?"

"It matters," Jefferson snapped, "You brought this to my house. You endangered my daughter by leading an angry Rumpelstiltskin still. You've put my wife and child in the view of your crew if they come looking for you here."

"They won't come looking for me; I had your servant send them a message."

"You couldn't have just gone to them?" Karenina asked.

"You were closer," he shrugged, "Besides, I've always wanted to show you my giant ship and get you on it so I thought that now was my chance. You've always wanted to see my giant ship, don't you? I'm sure you'd enjoy a good ride."

Karenina gave an incredulous look at her husband but smiled good naturedly, "Behave."

Killian gave her an intense look that spoke of how much he really wanted to undress her with more than just his eyes, "I do appreciate what you've done for me. I owe you a debt for saving my life when you didn't have to."

He managed to get the strength to lift himself up and kiss her cheek. Karenina ignored it. Jefferson bristled.

Killian looked at him and sighed, "Rumpelstiltskin and I have a very long and very violent history towards each other. He murdered my love. I'm trying to get vengeance."

Jefferson stared at the large gash running across the pirate's stomach, "You're doing a poor job."

"He found me in an alleyway and killed four of my men and tried to kill me. The only reason I got away is because one of my men tried to defend me and I was able to slip away."

"There's no way that he would've just forgotten about you like that," Jefferson said, "Rumpelstiltskin could've hunted you down immediately and killed you. He let you go to toy with you and to hunt you later."

Hook paled even more than he already looked. Karenina watched her husband warily and he could see she realized the same thing that he did.

"Which means," Jefferson finished, "That you're going to lead him here."

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Jefferson couldn't sleep. His heart was racing in his chest and it felt like it was jumping in his throat. Rumpelstiltskin was going to be angry at the pirate being here. He might see it as a betrayal and he could take it out on them, "Honey?"

"Hm?" Karenina asked in the darkness.

"If Rumpelstiltskin asked, would you hand Hook over?"

"No," she told him.

He looked over and her and nudged her with his foot, "You do realize that if we make him mad, he could make our lives miserable."

"Killian asked for our protection and it's my duty to protect him until he heals," she said, "It's part of my code. If Rumpelstiltskin wants Killian, he can try to take him but I'm not just going to hand him over because he thinks he can intimidate me."

Jefferson felt his heart start to race, "What if he takes Grace?"

"Rumpelstiltskin can't take Grace unless I don't honor my end of the bargain," she said tiredly, "And if he gets mad at me and takes it out on you then I'll shove my sword through his neck. When he recovers, then he and Rumpelstiltskin will continue their rivalry but until then…I'm going to help him recover."

"Why?" Jefferson asked, "It can't be because you're fond of him."

"On the contrary," Karenina turned towards him and wrapped her arm around his waist, "I find him quite entertaining."

"Yes, he's noticed that," Jefferson sniffed jealously, "And he keeps trying to stick around."

"It's probably to spite you," Karenina teased, "That's probably making him more attached."

Jefferson rubbed his eyes, "And then to further spite us, he'll go to Neverland and wait until Grace is old enough and then he'll seduce and marry her since he seems to think we're family he can crash in whenever he wants."

Karenina scoffed in disgust and pulled away to her side of the bed, "Oh gods, Jefferson. Go to sleep!"

"This is a legitimate concern!" he shook her, "If he sticks around more then our son in law is going to be the same age as us! No, he's going to be older than us."

"You always talk like this when you're tired," she muttered, "Stop making up imaginary rebellions about our daughter and go to sleep!"

"It's not so imaginary, have you noticed how she keeps creeping in there to watch him?"

"She's curious."

"She has a crush!"

"Grace is two years old," Karenina snapped, "She doesn't know what those are!"

He rolled over and pressed himself against her, "Just because she doesn't know what they are doesn't mean she doesn't have them."

"Gods, you keep continuing like this, I'll start talking about how I should've married Killian or Rumpelstiltskin instead of you," Karenina said, turned her head and kissed him, "Get some sleep."

He buried his face in her hair and breathed in the faint traces of the perfume she put in her hair after washing it. He held his wife close and kissed the back of her head, "You know I love you."

"Don't you try and make me feel bad, I don't take back what I say," Karenina told him teasingly.

He gave a small smile at his wife and tried to get a couple of hours of sleep.

That morning, both were awakened by a loud pounding at the door. Too loud to be a human…

Rumpelstiltskin was here.


	34. Chapter 34

Jefferson knew they were sitting on a very volatile situation that was more than likely going to end badly for one or all of them. As Karenina struggled to pull on some clothes, Jefferson told the servants to get Grace and get out of the house until morning. He didn't want his daughter or them to accidently get in the way of Rumpelstiltskin's wrath.

He followed Karenina to the front hall that looked like it was about to collapse from the way Rumpelstiltskin was pounding on it. Karenina opened the door and gave him her almost casual look, "Yes?"

Rumpelstiltskin hardly acknowledged her, "Where is he?"

He tried to come inside but Karenina blocked his way into the house, "He's injured."

"I don't care."

"You nearly eviscerated him," Karenina told him, "Stop and think about what you're doing."

"Stand aside," Rumpelstiltskin hissed in such a dark way that Jefferson immediately moved in front of his wife.

He held the door, "We're not trying to keep you from him or dissuade you from whatever your rivalry is. But he did come to us and he asked for help. When he's healed, you can have at him all you want. But for now, he's under our roof and therefore under our protection."

He felt odd saying that. Frankly, he wouldn't mind handing the pirate over under other circumstances but his wife was determined to keep him alive due to her own code of living so he was going to support her.

Rumpelstiltskin gave him a seething look, "He stole my wife. He robbed my son of his mother"

Jefferson shot a glance at Karenina and then looked back to him. Oh gods, he just imagined the wedding night, "You were married?"

"Hardly the time," Rumpelstiltskin hissed, "I can't believe you'd dare stand against me like this! Everything I've done for you-."

"And we'll honor our debt," Karenina told him and slipped her hand into her husbands, "As we always have. But that doesn't give you the right to barge into our home like this and make demands."

Rumpelstiltskin glared at both of them. Obviously, people telling him 'no' wasn't something that he was used to without immediately handing out punishment, "Very well….if you will not give him to me, then I suppose I'll just have to take him.

With a wave of his hand, Karenina flew in the air and into the wall behind him. She landed on her feet but Jefferson was not so lucky. He landed on the hardwood floor face first and his forehead slammed so hard against it that his head felt vibratey.

Karenina recovered faster than he did. She leapt to her feet and before he could stop her, she grabbed her dagger and threw it. It slashed his arm and pinned his coat to the wall.

"Oh," he pulled out the blade and watched as Karenina ran to her sword, "Really dearie?"

She was going to fight him over this. Gods, he'd rip her apart if he was mad enough.

Curse her warrior code that required her to take in those that asked for her help.

Jefferson screamed at his wife to stop and tried to stand. Rumpelstiltskin didn't look at Jefferson, but he waved his hand so that Jefferson was forced back against the wall. He struggled against the magic but it was no use.

Jefferson begged Rumpelstiltskin and Karenina to stop but neither one listened to him. They just circled each other. Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand and held a sword in his hand. Jefferson didn't have to look that hard at his wife to see the fear and anger in her gaze. Rumpelstiltskin looked somewhere between shocked and aroused that she was standing up to him in such a way and he held his sword up, "Well, it's inevitable I suppose. You've always hated me for forcing your family to work for me, time to get that out of your system I suppose."

At the mention of her family, Rumpelstiltskin hit the mark that would get her angry and she immediately attacked him. He dodged and came up with several moves of his own that wouldn't necessarily kill her…but it would debilitate her long enough to get to Hook without her interference.

But Karenina wasn't so merciful; she kept going in for the kill.

To watch them both move was something that Jefferson thought he'd never see and there was part of him that wasn't sorry he missed it. Karenina was bred from a family of warriors but it was obvious from both their fighting styles that Rumpelstiltskin had taught her a few tricks as well which made them evenly matched. They advanced and dodged and blocked with ease. Throughout the fight, it was obvious that Karenina's bloodlust quickly faded as she realized Rumpelstiltskin wasn't there to kill her and so tried several moves that would injure a normal man rather than kill him.

And Rumpelstiltskin didn't use magic…Jefferson wasn't sure at first what that meant but maybe perhaps he respected her enough not to try and cheat in order to win.

The entire battle lasted about two minutes, maybe three. The problem was that Karenina was human and she was also working on half sleep. Rumpelstiltskin did not need to sleep nor did he tire and so he forced the blade from her hand and held his own at her throat, "Had enough, dearie?"

He turned and waved his hand. The door to the study flew open and slammed into the wall.

The window was open. Hook was gone.

Rumpelstiltskin sighed and looked at both of them, "Now see what you two did?"


	35. Chapter 35

Rumpelstiltskin gave them a rant about how they were supposed to be on his side and he left to go find Hook.

Karenina and Jefferson immediately donned their cloaks and went out to look for him as well. Unlike Rumpelstiltskin, they knew precisely where the ship was. He had to tell them when they sent a message to his ship letting the crew know where their captain was.

Jefferson and Karenina weaved through the docks. Everywhere, the smell of fish and shrimp and unwashed bodies assaulted their noses. Jefferson was glad he hadn't brought too much money with him…the pirates were docked at the less…protected part of the docks. Getting there wasn't too difficult and if one wasn't careful and stumbled on it while carrying a large sack of money, they would either lost the bag or lose their lives. Sometimes it was both. He didn't worry about that though, he could defend himself and he knew his wife had several blades strapped to her.

They found the ship without many problems. It was the brightest colored one in the entire area. For someone that wanted to lay low, they sure had a pathetic way of showing it.

They had heard stories all the time about pirates on the docks. They heard about how women would be lured onto the boat…the men that were with them would be killed or thrown overboard. He heard about how they would do unspeakable things to the women in their care before either throwing them back on land unable to function again or just killing them.

They had dealt with Hook. They had not dealt with the crew. That worried Jefferson, so he kept his hand on his dagger as he followed his wife up the plank.

Sometimes she was a bit too arrogant for her own good.

They stepped on the boat and immediately the crew stopped working and talking. Their eyes fell on both of them. Jefferson looked around the boat for any threats and saw that there were several.

Karenina looked at the tall one that looked in charge, "Where's the captain?"

"And why would you want to know?" he stepped closer. Jefferson wasn't sure he liked the insinuation of that. Nor did he like how the pirate's eyes fell to where Karenina's stomach would be underneath the cloak.

"I want to make sure he got here safely before the imp killed him," she said simply, "Is he alive?"

The pirate stepped a little too close for comfort, "How do we know you don't work for him?"

Karenina's arrogance got the better of her, "Because you would be dead."

"Feisty one, aren't you?" he moved just a little bit closer than what was completely necessary.

Jefferson reacted immediately before Karenina could. He pulled out his dagger, grabbed the man's hair, yanked his head back and put the blade at his throat.

Several men started to rush forward. Karenina threw one of her blades as a warning and withdrew the sword of Jefferson's hostage, "Keep back."

"Put your weapons down!"

They both looked up at the sound of Killian's voice. He was leaning heavily on the stairs and looked as if he were in pain. The men automatically lowered their swords as did Karenina. Jefferson reluctantly released the man he was holding hostage and went to stand beside his wife.

Hook forced himself down the stairs and walked towards them slowly. When he started walking towards them, his face brightened as if he was genuinely glad to see them, "I didn't think you two would come to say goodbye!"

Jefferson rolled his eyes at the pirate's glee, "I imagine you also weren't sure we'd survive."

Hook shrugged, "Your fate was up in the air. Mine was definite."

Karenina looked around the ship, "You should've been gone by now. The docks won't hide you for long."

"Oh, he can't come on here," Killian tugged her hair playfully and adjusted the cloak, "The ship's been enchanted. That's why he was in such a hurry to find me before I got on my ship."

"What's stopping him from sinking it?" Jefferson asked.

"The principal of it all I suppose, it's not fun for him unless he's hunting me down on dry land," Killian then turned to Karenina and gave her another flirtatious smile, "I suppose you won't see me again for a while love. Now that he knows that I'm back, nowhere is safe in this world. I just need to heal a bit more and then I'll have to go to Neverland. Let some more years pass before I try again."

"So you're leaving?" Jefferson tried not to let the joy into his voice, but he wasn't sure he did a good job.

"But of course I'll be back!" He smirked and it automatically disappointed Jefferson, "After all, I have to kill the Dark One don't I? And I can't abandon my friends."

Jefferson wasn't sure they were ever friends, so why did the pirate keep acting like they all ran together?

Karenina pulled out a bag that she had kept on her shoulder under the cloak and gave it to him, "There are supplies and disinfectants and herbs to reduce the pain in there. I've written instructions on what to do to help the healing."

The pirate looked touched by that but quickly covered it up, "Thank you, sweetheart. I didn't think you cared."

"I don't," Karenina said flippantly but it was a lie. Jefferson could see that she at least had some sort of caring for the pirate just like he seemed to have developed an affection for her that spoke of more than just wanting to get her in his bed.

Jefferson still didn't like it.

"See you, Hook," he said.

The pirate gave him a nod and kissed Karenina's cheek, "I don't suspect we'll see each other for a while then, love."

"I suppose not," she said, "Goodbye Killian."

Hook smirked again, "Well, it wasn't a complete loss, this visit. I was hoping I could get you on my ship. Maybe next time sweetheart, you don't bring your husband and I'll take you on the ride of your life. I think he'd just spoiler our fun."

Karenina narrowed her eyes and then gave a proud smirk, "Or he could just join in."

Jefferson recoiled at his wife's statement and Hook paled. He shot Jefferson a glare for some reason as if that was his fault.

Karenina just looked proud of herself.

"We better leave," Jefferson said, "Our daughter is missing us."

"Now?" Karenina mocked, "I was just starting to have fun."

Jefferson stormed off the boat, followed by his giggling wife. He wasn't sure how red he was blushing but it must've been bright because people were stopping to look at him.

"That wasn't funny!" he told her.

"Oh darling," she teased, "You know I didn't mean it."

"I don't know that."

"Of course you do! Keeping you in line is hard enough."


	36. Chapter 36

It was a stormy spring the year Grace turned three. The rain pounded the window panes; Jefferson mistook it for hail. The thunder was so loud it shook the walls…the lightning lit up the room in the way that fire and lanterns couldn't and Jefferson could not sleep.

Karenina did. Karenina could sleep through the house collapsing on her if it ever actually happened.

And then tonight, a shutter came loose and slammed repeatedly against the wall of the house, which also kept Jefferson up. He tried to shove his head underneath the pillow but that didn't even work.

He was going to have to endure it.

Another clap of thunder shook the house and he winced at how loud it was. Maybe he should take his family to another world until this was over? No, he had worked to do and Karenina wouldn't want to go with him, she loved the rain.

He heard a small pounding down the hallway and lifted his head to see his daughter throw open the door and run in, "Papa!"

She tried to make a jump for the bed but instead slammed into it and tumbled to the ground. Jefferson immediately threw the covers back and scooped her up when she started crying, "It's alright Grace, you're not hurt."

Karenina gave a groan at the disturbance and looked over her shoulder, "What's happened?"

"Grace is just scared of the storm," he held his daughter close. She whimpered in that way that automatically meant she had him right where she wanted him, and he held her closer.

His wife let her head fall against the pillow and she sighed in exhaustion, "Storms can't hurt you, Grace. You need to sleep in your own bed"

Grace wrapped her arms around her father's neck. Jefferson felt his resolve to back up Karenina in this firm attempt to keep Grace from going to their room every other night melt when he felt his daughter tremble, "Just for tonight, you can sleep in here."

"Hardly surprising," Karenina muttered.

He made a face to Karenina but her back was turned. Karenina was always the firm one when it came to their daughter. All Grace had to do with him was give him big blue eyes and he was hers.

"Come on," he whispered, "You can be in the middle."

Grace practically dove under the covers when another clap of thunder sounded above them.

"And you wonder why you don't get lucky so much anymore," Karenina muttered.

"Papa, what does that mean?" Grace asked

Jefferson felt his face grow red, "Ask mommy when you're older."

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Jefferson and Karenina had their own different duties when it came to parenting Grace. Karenina was better with the outdoor activities…the things that required her to move around. She played outside with Grace and kept her entertained, she took her to market and to buy things…or she played active games inside. Jefferson participated of course…but Karenina was better at them.

Jefferson on the other hand was better at the intellectual things. He was more patient than Karenina was to sit down and show her things. He was more patients and more literate thanks to his years of schooling…so it looked like it was going to fall to him to educate her. He didn't mind. He hoped Grace would form an eager attachment to learning and knowledge just like he had. He hoped that she would read about far away places and then he would be able to take her there and she would learn the customs of the worlds around them.

He hoped that she would become a portal jumper, like him…well not like him; he hoped that she wouldn't corrupt herself to get money like he had…

Gods, he could just imagine the adventures they would have together when she got older.

But for now, he would just have to read her the stories and let her mind take her to far off places. Every night, when he was reading, she'd crawl up into his lap and stare at the 'funny squiggly shapes' as she called them, and so every evening without fail, he'd read aloud to her and he would point to every word so that she could start associating what they sounded like to what they looked like.

And then one stormy evening after she was three, she crawled up into his lap like she always did. He wrapped the blanket around them both and started their nightly ritual. He was reading to her about Neverland. An awful place that trapped your mind and body in the same age that you currently were at.

Grace stared at the letters like she always did and then then she reached out and pointed to a word of her own. And she read it.

Jefferson's eyes widened as Grace sounded out each of the words in the sentence. At first her voice shook but she gained confidence and when she was done with the paragraph, she stared up at him expectantly.

Jefferson was so stunned that he wasn't sure what to do. His daughter just showed him that she was reading.

She was three! That was far too young, wasn't it?

He continued to sit there in stunned silence until Karenina came into the room. The bottom of her skirt was wet; she'd been outside, "Louie just yelled at me because the market boys have delivered overripe lettuce two weeks in a row. Apparently that's my fault."

Jefferson's heart started racing. He had to tell his wife! Without a word, his hand closed on her wrist and he pulled her over from the chair she'd just sat in to sit next to him.

"Jefferson, I just sat-."

"Sh!" he pointed to the paragraph under the page that Grace read, "Grace, show mama what you just showed me."

Grace's pride on her face was irreplaceable as she pointed to each word and said it flawlessly. When she was done, Jefferson wrapped his arms around his daughter and kissed the top of her head, "There's daddy's girl."

Karenina looked at him with wide eyes, "She can read?"

"She can read!" he said proudly and kissed Grace's face. Gods, his chest felt like it was swelling, he was so excited.

Karenina snapped out of her reverie and kissed her daughter's face as well. As it sunk in, she burst into a proud grin herself "Bu- how?"

"I don't know," he told her, "She just started pointing at the words and reading them to me just now."

Karenina stood, "I think this is reason to celebrate, I'm going to tell Louie that tomorrow you're going to have your favorite breakfast."

And Jefferson would get her a gift. Maybe her very own book to read over and over.

Gods knew he would've loved that when he was her age.

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"She's only three."

Jefferson stared at the darkened ceiling of their room. It'd been impossible to get Grace settled down to go to bed but she'd finally drifted off to sleep when the storm settled down. But Jefferson didn't think that was the reason, he knew that she was wound up because her parents were so excited and weren't settling down themselves.

But here…far past midnight, they were lying there listening to the rain pelt the window.

"Yeah," Jefferson's hand slipped in her's, "I know."

"Can three year olds learn to read?" she asked.

"Some can," he yawned. The adrenaline was starting to wear off and he wanted to sleep.

"Do you think it's because she's intelligent?" Karenina asked, "Or do you think it's something else?"

Jefferson rubbed his eyes, "like what?"

"Once I heard that some children of true love can be intelligent and magical. I used to think it was a myth until you told me where you got your magic from. Do you think the same thing happened to Grace?"

"You think we're true loves?" he asked. He'd accepted it a long time ago. He loved her far more than any man could love his wife but Karenina was more stubborn. It'd been a big step for her to just admit she loved him and maybe it'd been true love but to accept it fully like she was…that was a big step for her.

"Maybe," she said in the darkness, and then he heard her smile, "We'd be true loves….I can't even…understand that. Why should you love me?"

"Why should you love me back?" he asked and wrapped his arms around her, "Love is a funny thing, isn't it?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips passionately against his. He returned the kiss and started to roll on top of her. He expected her to refuse and claim she was tired but when she didn't, he got up quickly to lock the door and resume his husbandly duties with wife uninterrupted.

About three in the morning, they were dropping off the sleep when Karenina spoke up again, "Do you think that's why Rumpelstiltskin put us together?"

Jefferson reached behind him and interlocked his fingers with his wife's. It was something else that had occurred to him. Rumpelstiltskin rarely did something out of the goodness of his heart without it benefiting him in the long run. But what could they offer him?

Gods, he prayed it was just the jabborwock blood.

"There's a disturbing thought," he whispered and wrapped his arms around her but didn't voice his own worries. Not yet, "Get some sleep."


	37. Chapter 37

The more that Jefferson thought about it the more he realized that Rumpelstiltskin might have plans for his daughter.

And that scared him.

It was all he thought about. When he worked, he became distracted. When he was at home, he was distracted. Grace crawled up in his lap to read to him and he was too distant to even follow to make sure she was reading it right.

If Rumpelstiltskin wanted something from his daughter, it couldn't be good.

Was this all his plan? Did he give Jefferson a practically barren woman knowing she would suffer two miscarriages and a mental breakdown just so he could give her the potion and get her under his thumb? Was this honestly a long con on his part? Why? Karenina would kill anything he told her to kill anyway.

It was better to pretend that Rumpelstiltskin was just taking advantage of an opportunity instead of playing the two that he had known for so long.

But if he just pretended that, then he couldn't protect Grace properly if this was indeed a long con.

"You've been quiet lately," Karenina told him as they lay in bed one night close to Grace's fourth birthday.

"Just…distracted I guess," he was worried about telling Karenina his own fears. If she suspected what he did then she'd do everything she could to kill the Dark One to protect her daughter.

Rumpelstiltskin didn't need her in one piece to fight the Jabborwock.

Karenina rested her chin on his chest, "You used to talk to me more than you have been."

His hand intertwined with hers and he kissed her hand. He chose not to tell her immediately about Rumpelstiltskin, but he could talk to her about something else he was planning, "I'm thinking we should put Grace in a school."

"Why can't we use a tutor?"

He looked down, "She should be with children her own age, that's why."

"We don't have any schools near here, everyone hires tutors," Karenina lifted her head, "And it's not like she'd be making friends. You told me how competitive it is at those schools. You told me how isolated you felt"

"Only because we were competing for Rumpelstiltskin's favor."

"And you think it's going to be any different for the other kids?"

"It could be."

Karenina sat up, "I know you. I know how you think. You would want our daughter to have the best schooling and the best school isn't anywhere near her. You'd be taking her away from us."

"She needs an education."

"Which we can hire tutors for," Karenina argued, "She can go out and play with the other kids in the neighborhood."

He scoffed, "It's not the same."

Karenina tilted her head, "Jefferson, you get up to check on her several times a night. What makes you think you'd survive her being gone for months at a time?"

If it meant that she was safe…if it meant that his daughter was out of sight and out of mind from Rumpelstiltskin while they dealt with this Jabborwock deal, then he'd happily send her away. It'd gut him. Karenina and Grace were his life but if he felt it was best then he'd do it.

Karenina waited for his argument...and when he didn't start, she continued, "Don't think about separating us from our daughter. We fought _so _hard to get her into this world and I don't want to separate from her because of something that we can do here."

"Karenina-,"

Karenina held his gaze, "We've been married long enough for me to know that there is something more that's bothering you."

He wanted to deny it. He wanted to refuse but he knew that look in her eyes. He knew that if she sensed something was wrong with him, then she wouldn't let it go until she knew what was bothering him.

He had to tell her.

And so he sat up and he took his wife's hand. And he told her his fears and suspicions. He watched as her face went from fury towards him to fear as he told her why he thought Rumpelstiltskin was setting them up, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd probably react angrily."

"Well yes, I'm angry!" she said, "You're telling me that Rumpelstiltskin wants to use our daughter for some sort of purpose."

"You can't go down there and confront him," Jefferson said when he saw her looking toward her weapons, "Please."

Karenina looked at him. She looked like she wanted to argue but there was something in his eyes that caused her not to, "Okay."

"Okay," he kissed her.

"But if Rumpelstiltskin is going to use her, then I think its better we keep her here. Out there, she may be away from us but we can't protect her. And you know Rumpelstiltskin has his hands in most of the schools that have been erected."

"But if she's here then we have to worry about protecting her as well as dealing with this jabborwock problem."

"At least we _can _protect her here," Karenina said, "I can't keep her safe if she's hours or days away. And we've fought too hard to bring her into this world just to lose her on account of what an imp COULD do."

He nodded, he knew she had a point but he thought he also had one in sending her away. But in the end…his own need to see his daughter with his own eyes so that he knew she was safe won out and Karenina got her way.

And he prayed he wouldn't regret it.


	38. Chapter 38

It was a rough job this time out. Jefferson hoped that the bandage on his shoulder was hidden well enough by his vest and coat. If his wife knew that he'd been attacked then gods help the men who did it. Just because she was a mother now and had settled down hadn't made her any less of a fighter. She was just…biding her time now or so she claimed.. Woe to the child that ever tormented his daughter and they found out about it. He wasn't sure he'd be able to hold Karenina off the child parents and that was if he didn't get ahold of them first.

It'd been two weeks and he wanted to see his family.

He found his wife and daughter in the field behind the house. Karenina was sitting on a blanket and rocking their daughter, who was asleep in her lap.

Oh it was always such a welcome sight to see them after having to his work. Karenina had all but given up fighting and he tried not to show her how relieved he was. It didn't always remain hidden but she just glared at him when he voiced his relief.

He came up to them and Karenina brightened when she saw him. He knelt down and kissed her, "Miss me?"

"Every day," she replied and tried not to giggle out loud as he playfully nuzzled her neck, "Missed that definitely."

He looked down to his daughter as she started to stir. He smiled radiantly and put his hand on the side of her four year old face, "Hi Grace."

"Papa!" she squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He returned the embrace and pulled her into his lap, "Papa, I missed you!"

He kissed his daughter's face, "I missed you too."

Karenina smiled at both of them and rested her hand on the crown of her daughter's head.

Grace scrambled out of his lap and tugged on his hand, "Papa, come on."

He pretended that Grace had the strength to pull him up and he pretended to nearly fall face first in the mud. Grace giggled and continued pulling him.

Jefferson glanced up and frowned when he saw Rumpelstiltskin standing at the edge of the meadow. His heart started racing and he protectively put a hand on his wife's back but she didn't seem to notice that Rumpelstiltskin was watching them from afar. He blinked and the man was gone.

No…it was too soon. He couldn't be coming to collect now.

Grace gave an exaggerate huff to get his attention, "Papa!"

Karenina looked to where he was looking but he was gone. Was it Jefferson's imagination then? "Darling…she hasn't stopped talking about your hiding game that you play together."

He gave his daughter a strained smile and rested his hand on her hair, "I suppose we'll have to play then."

Grace smiled and Karenina grabbed her hand.

"Keep up with our daughter, sweetheart," He said started towards the forest, "I believe that she's part bloodhound. Must've gotten her ability to track from her mother."

"I'll count to twenty before we come find you," she promised.

Jefferson kissed his wife and with a parting look to them, raced through the forest to hide.


	39. Chapter 39

Jefferson pressed his lips to his wife's neck and smiled down at her, "Seven years."

Karenina ran her hand down his chest, "I didn't think I'd keep you around for this long."

Jefferson smiled and wrapped a blanket around them both. Karenina kissed his shoulder and then his face and snuggled against his chest.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," Karenina looked up at him and smiled, "I thought you would've left me a long time ago to be honest."

"Oh, who could leave you?" he teased.

"I'm not exactly domesticated," she muttered, "Most men don't like that. Most men don't like me running off every now and then to fight monsters. You certainly don't."

"I don't," he agreed, "But I don't let it ruin my marriage with you."

He moved on his back and Karenina cuddled into his side. Jefferson looked over to the bed stand. Grace had made them a card to celebrate their anniversary and she had given them one of her toy rabbits for a gift. She even tied a pink bow around its neck to sort of make it new.

Karenina saw him looking at the gift, "I wonder where she learned to be sweet."

"Annabelle and Peter probably," he rubbed her back.

"And Louie," Karenina shivered and pulled the blanket over herself, "I know he still sneaks her treats when he thinks we're not looking."

"It's a bit sad that our servants are more moral people than we are."

"Well sweetie, if you hired amoral people, we'd be out of all our possessions," she returned to her pillow, "Get some sleep."

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Jefferson was first aware of the smell of bacon when he opened his eyes. He saw his wife in the room with him. She had a breakfast tray in her hands.

"I thought the husband served his wife in bed."

"I've never been one for tradition," she placed the large tray down and he saw there was enough food for both of them.

"Did you bring enough for three, dearies?"

They turned to see Rumpelstiltskin sitting by the fireplace. Karenina checked her robe and Jefferson cursed and pulled on his pants under the covers.

Fear slammed against his chest. Gods, please not now. Grace was five, yes but they just celebrated their anniversary! Why couldn't he leave them alone? They had a child now! Surely he could find another hunter to do his dirty work.

But this was part of the deal. And other than a couple of blink and miss it appearances, Rumpelstiltskin had pretty much left them alone after the Hook debacle. Rumor had it that he expected them to apologize to him for saving a man's life.

He and Karenina had too much pride for that though. And while they all regarded each other, they didn't talk.

Jefferson stood and grabbed his shirt, "Why can't you knock like everyone else?"

"Because that would imply that I am like everyone else," he said and picked up a book, "Alice in Wonderland, hm? I didn't know you were interested in that girl's memoirs."

"I'm not," he snapped, "They're all fake anyway. A girl trying to capitalize on a bunch of rumors and legends about what people think they know about the place."

"Indeed," he muttered flipped through the book, "May I have it then?"

"What do you want, Rumpelstiltskin?"

Rumpelstiltskin tucked the book in his coat, "Well now that you ask…I'm here to tell you that everything's in place."

Jefferson felt like he'd been stabbed He looked over at his wife for any emotion on her part but she kept a blank face. Not even her eyes showed any turmoil. He looked back down at Rumpelstiltskin, "No."

"A deal's a deal dearie."

"We just celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary!"

"Your anniversary was two months ago."

Jefferson bit the inside of his cheek, the only reason they were celebrating it now was because he'd been betrayed by his client. They'd tried to cross his portal without him and he'd had to destroy the door to keep it from happening and find a different way back home.

Luckily, he knew another portal jumper in the area who he actually had a decent commaderie with.

But with Grace starting school and everything happening, they hadn't had a chance to celebrate their anniversary and this was the only time they could.

"You can't," Jefferson pleaded. He had a bad feeling that he couldn't shake. Something was going to happen. He didn't know what but he'd had an uneasy feeling every time he and his wife discussed this.

But his wife kept her emotionless face, "Where is it?"

"Well, well, well, so funny you should ask," Rumpelstiltskin held the book up again.

Jefferson cringed, he hated Wonderland. The rules were so different there.

Karenina stared at the book, paled a bit and then wrapped her arms around herself, "What's the best way to kill it?"

"You're the hunter, you should know."

"Yes, but it's not like I have the sword, do I?"

"Fortunately, you're friends with someone that can get it for you," Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand and a sheathed sword appeared in the chair, "The Vorpol Sword should do the trick."

"How much blood do you need?"

"Just a small vial, not that much. Maybe two now that I think of it. Just slice his head off and get the blood and you'll be free of my debt forever."

Jefferson knew they had to honor it. If they didn't then he'd try to take Grace from them.

And Karenina always honored her deals.

"Have it done by the end of the week, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin said and disappeared.

When he was gone, Karenina's legs went out from under her. Jefferson was at her side in a second. She was shaking and he wrapped his arms around her.

She'd once told him that she had fought a Jabborwock before. And when he asked how it had went, she'd been reluctant to answer.

That combined with his bad feeling and her reaction now…he knew they might be in trouble.


	40. Chapter 40

"We don't have to do this," Jefferson told his wife as he sat on the edge of the bed. Karenina stood to his left, preparing for battle.

That feeling that something was going to happen still hadn't gone away and he was desperate to talk her out of this.

Karenina loaded her knives in her boots and then against the straps in her back, "We do."

"We can run away! Find another world to live in!"

"He'd find us."

"He might not."

"Do you want to risk Grace for that?" she asked and lifted up the sword, "Because I'm not."

"We could go to the beach…you liked the beach that we lived at for your pregnancy."

"You and I both know that place isn't meant to sustain us for years," she said, "And he'd find us."

"I just…," he trailed off, "I just don't have a good feeling about all this and I don't want to lose you if something happens."

Karenina stopped and looked at him. She held out her hand, "Come here."

He grabbed her hand and stood. Karenina intertwined her hands with his and stood close, "I…love you…more than life itself. Do you know what you've done for me? You took a lonely bitter cold woman and you taught her to love and to trust….and no one's ever taken the time to do that for me"

Jefferson rested his hands on her face, "I didn't do anything, it was you who made it better. I didn't think anyone could ever love me."

Gods, it felt like they were saying goodbye.

He fought tears as he realized they might be.

No, his wife was a fighter. She was a warrior…She would come home.

But he still pulled her into an embrace. He still wrapped his arms around her and tried not to cry. To do so would distract his wife and he needed to make sure she was focusing. A jabborwock was hard to battle…and he was taking her to a place unlike anything he's ever seen before.

Karenina held him for a few minutes and reluctantly pulled away, "I love you."

"I love you," she grabbed his belt and pulled him closer, "And when we get home…we'll be a family"

"Oh, so you're warming up to the idea of adoption I see."

"I think Grace is old enough to have a brother," Karenina smiled and brushed a knuckle against his face, "And I think I'm ready to have another kid if you're ready."

He nodded, "Just come back in one piece

"Oh, I always do more or less" she ran a hand down his back as he reached for his hat, "Let's get this done."

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Jefferson didn't like Wonderland. There was just something about it that felt…off. He'd only been twice and those were short visits, Rumpelstiltskin had once told him that it was best to avoid that place if at all possible.

And if Rumpelstiltskin was scared of this place then one had to avoid it at all possible. That was probably why he wasn't there and they were.

He looked at his wife of seven years and gods willing several more. He took in the weapons she carried and her sword, "I can help you."

"No," she said quickly, "No, I can't risk you getting hurt if you don't have a weapon that can actually kill it."

"Oh no," Jefferson shook his head, "You're not doing this by yourself."

"I have to," Karenina said, "And I need you to be close to the portal in case the Queensguard get in the way of the fighting and we need to make a quick escape."

No…she was trying to keep him safe and he understood that but he would much rather give his life so that his lady could live

But they were wasting time arguing and his wife would most likely win.

He pressed his forehead against his wife's, "Come back quickly."

"I will," she promised.

He grabbed his wife's face and kissed her passionately, she gave him an equally loving kiss and pulled away, "I'll be back."

And when she was walking away, he began to follow her from a safe distance.

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He found a small shrubbery and crouched behind it. His wife was a bit of a distance away but he could watch her to make sure she was safe.

The Jabborwock crawled out of the cave as Karenina drew her sword and …..Oh gods, that thing was ugly. What were the gods thinking when they created that?

The thing roared at her and lunged. Karenina dodged it and brought her sword down against the thing's thick neck. It only cut into the creature's neck a tiny bit, she didn't' get a good angle. The creature roared in pain and faltered.

Karenina leapt onto the creature's neck and drove the point of the sword into the creatures' neck. The creature howled and jerked his head. Karenina went flying off slammed against the ground. The Jobborwock turned and went roaring to her. Her sword was still in the creature's neck.

Karenina rolled to her feet and pulled out a dagger. She slammed the knife into the creature's eye.

Jefferson gasped and turned away. Gods, that was so gross.

His wife grabbed her sword and ripped it out. Within seconds she brought it down and the head was halfway severed. The Jabborwack stumbled, turned, sunk his teeth deep into Karenina's torso and threw her.

It all happened so quickly…he watched as she landed awkwardly on her back and the creature fell dead.

Karenina wasn't moving.

Jefferson raced to her side, "Karenina?"

Her torso was ripped open….he put his hand on her stomach to keep her insides from spilling out.

"Gods….gods….gods no," he whispered through his tears, "Gods no…Karenina!

Her blood was soaking into the earth. He wouldn't be able to stop all of it.

He heard someone shouting and he looked up startled.

The Jabborwock was dead….

His wife was dying….

And the Queen of Heart's guards were coming their way.


	41. Chapter 41

Karenina was bleeding out as he carried her to the portal. He wrapped his coat around her to keep her warm so that she didn't go into shock…but he could feel the stickiness of her blood soak through his shirt before he was even a mile to their destination.

She wouldn't make it. He knew it but he kept pushing on because there MIGHT be a chance that he could get her to Rumpelstiltskin before she died. So he didn't panic and he didn't cry. He needed to be strong for Karenina because she needed him to be right now.

She would be fine.

"Jefferson," Karenina whispered. He could hear the fear in her voice, "I can't feel my legs."

He had suspected as much when she landed the way she did…and he was well aware that he was more than likely making her hurt worse but they couldn't stay here. Not with the Queen of Heart's men on their trail.

"We're almost home," he promised, although he still had three miles to go and his arms were aching.

"You need to take care of Grace," she whispered.

"I always do," he told her, "It'll take you some time to get on your feet again but- I'll keep her from crawling all over you."

"I won't be there," she whispered and then sobbed, "I don't want to die."

"You're not going to die," he said and felt the tears gathering as they both knew it was a lie. His voice caught, "You're gonna….you're gonna be fine."

He could feel her growing weaker in his arms, he didn't know how to explain it but it gave him the energy to walk faster. If he ran, he would tire more quickly and she would be unnecessarily jostled…which would make the agonizing pain she was in far worse.

"If I die, I want you to take care of Grace," she repeated.

He could stay in denial. She would be fine, she would live. She was a warrior, she could…she could wait until they got through the portals. And Rumpelstiltskin would be there in an instant. He'd heal her and then they could go back for the Jabborwock blood.

But he knew what little chance that had of happening, and if he gave her false hope he was only giving himself false hope, "I'll raise her, I'll take care of her and I'll keep her safe."

"You'll be an amazing father," she whispered, "I'm sorry I couldn't be a better wife and mom"

"What are you talking about? You were fine. A little stern sometimes but I think one parent usually has to be."

"Don't let…don't let Rumpel near her."

"He'd have to kill me to see her again."

"I," she stopped and jerked violently in his arms, "…I-I love you Jefferson."

"I love you too," he whispered, "So much. Hold on, we're almost there."

"No we're not," she whispered.

"We are so…it's just…it's faster coming back than it is going," he lied.

"Jefferson, I know we're not close" she jerked again, "I know I'm going to die here."

"Save your strength, don't talk," his voice cracked again."

"Don't. Just…just hold me."

The guards were probably hot on their trail but he found a giant mushroom grove where he could hide. He laid her down and heard her sigh in relief.

Gods, had he really been hurting her that much?

She was going into convulsions as he lifted up her torso and rested her against his chest. He kept his arms around her and stared her in the face as he talked to her. He brushed her hair back and made her all sorts of promises about their daughter and what he would do for her when she got back home.

And he held her until the light faded from her eyes and any strength that left was gone and she fell limp in his arms.

At first he was in shock as he stared at her motionless body. He shook her slightly and then sobbed when he realized that she was gone.

Then the tears came and he pulled her into his embrace. He rocked her body back and forth, "No, no, no, no, no, no."

The sobs turned into short wails as he realized that she wouldn't wake up. He would never see her again. She wouldn't wake by his side and tease him. He would never see her eyes light up when he came home safe. He'd never see her smile when Grace chose her lap instead of his to climb into for love and comfort…

She was gone…

Because of him and his work…Karenina had made the deal to defeat the Jabborwock…but she couldn't have if he hadn't spun the hat. It was a loophole that he could've used to keep her out of here but he'd been afraid Rumpelstiltskin would use that excuse to take Grace. This was his fault.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her hair, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

He would have to carry her body the three miles to get to the portal and get back home.

Grace might see her like this.

The idea sent him into even more heavy sobs.

Gods, he loathed Wonderland.


	42. Chapter 42

Jefferson couldn't get out of bed.

The servants brought him food but he ignored them and the food went cold. They gave their condolences but he didn't answer. None of them were important…nothing was going to bring her back. Not even Frankenstein could do it, his attempts to revive his brother had been a failure and magic couldn't bring her back and science couldn't bring her back…

She was just gone…

The first day passed and then the second…and he heard the servants whispering to each other outside his door. Karenina needed to be buried before…her body began deteriorating, but Jefferson wouldn't acknowledge them enough to give them permission. He would have to do that soon but doing so would make him face the fact that she was gone. At least here he could close his eyes, smell her scent on the bed and pretend she was still here.

He dozed but he never fully slept. He was scared that if he did it then he'd see her and then he'd wake up and she would be gone.

But sometime during his dozing, Grace got into the room …he wasn't sure when but he opened his eyes when he felt a slight movement on the bed, "Papa?"

He sat up when he heard his daughter's voice, "Grace?"

She tensed when she saw him and he realized how horrible he must look.

She looked at him and tilted her head, "Papa?"

"What are you doing in here?" he asked.

"I'm looking for mama. Where's mama? Everybody's quiet."

And the tightness in his chest swelled even greater and he pulled his daughter into an embrace so tight that she started squirming immediately.

He buried his face in his daughter's hair and started crying. He'd failed. He was supposed to keep his family safe. He was supposed to be a husband that Karenina could depend on but Karenina was dead and he'd failed.

The crying gave way to heavy sobbing. He apologized to his daughter over and over again. He should've fought harder…he should've taken the payment and ignored Rumpelstiltskin. He should've hired someone else to kill that stupid monster and Karenina could've taken the credit.

And now Grace had no mother because of him. He'd killed Karenina because he trusted Rumpelstiltskin…because he'd used his portal…

Grace was crying too, even though she didn't understand why.

Jefferson pulled his daughter away and brushed her own tears from her eyes, "Your mother…she…won't be here anymore Grace."

Grace started crying again, "Why?"

Jefferson felt his voice break and he looked at his child and composed himself, "Do you remember how she used to save people and fight monsters?"

Grace nodded, "Did a monster kill her?"

"No Grace," he lied, "No….w-when a monster dies, they go to the same place as people do. And sometimes they misbehave…And so…the gods called your mother to join them in the afterlife so that she could scare all the monsters and keep them from scaring everyone."

Grace's tears turned into sobs, "Can't she come back?"

"No," He said and wiped her tears away, "But we'll see her someday."

He pulled his daughter to his chest and held her until she stopped crying. He had to pull himself together now. His daughter needed him, "Grace, I need you to tell your governess to clean you up and get you in your best dress, and when you see Peter tell him the same to the other servants. We need to hold services for your mother."

Grace managed a small nod and climbed out of his lap. The servants had kept a hot bath for him in the next room and so he bathed and shaved and changed into his best clothes and walked the guest chambers that were supposed to be his wife's chambers but she'd never used him.

The servants had put her in a cream colored dress that Jefferson didn't recognize. They'd placed her favorite weapons around her. Her hair was washed and combed and all the injuries the jabberwock had given her were covered. They even managed to lay her down in such a way that it didn't look like her back was mangled.

He took his wife's hand and pressed his lips to the back of her hand, "I'm sorry Karenina. I'm so so sorry. Please forgive me. I should've fought harder to keep you home…I should've-….I'm going to do everything I can to keep your daughter safe now. I won't lose her. She'll be normal Karenina. I promise. I won't fail her like I failed you. She won't lose her father too."

He pressed his lips to her palm and ran a hand lovingly down her still face and took the last few seconds to memorize every detail. He couldn't believe he ever thought of her as anything less than beautiful once.

Before the servants came in, he put her favorite sword in both her hands and placed his daughter's baby blanket in her hands as well.

He put her wedding ring in his pocket.

Grace would want it, one day.


	43. Chapter 43

Jefferson put on a strong show for Grace.

But inside, he was spiraling out of control. He didn't sleep well, the food tasted like ash…sometimes he woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and he reached for his wife before he realized her side of the bed was empty.

And he would spend the rest of the night sobbing.

The nightmares were the worst, he watched her death over and over and he could never reach her in time.

But sometimes the good dreams were even worst….sometimes he would stare at her eyes and he would think she was there and then he'd wake up and realize she wasn't. Or when he was awake, she would have a fleeting thought and think to tell Karenina, only to remember…

Grace wasn't taking it well either. Sometimes she would start crying and seek him. Several times, he woke up to find his daughter sleeping beside him with the doll her mother gave her once wrapped protectively in her arms. Jefferson wasn't sure what he should do…so most days he held her and he told her it would be okay.

But not even he was sure he could do it.

Peter opened the door when he sat in the study, "Man here to see you, sir."

Grace looked up from her book she was studying and gave her father a frantic look, "Papa-."

Jefferson put his hand on his daughter's hair and gave her a reassuring smile before he turned to Peter, "I'm not seeing clients right now."

Or ever.

"I'm not looking for a portal," a familiar voice said before its owner walked through the door. Jefferson tensed and paled at the sight of the dark headed blue eyed pirate as he swept into the room, "I'm here as a friend."

Jefferson narrowed his eyes at Hook, "We're not friends."

"What are you talking about?" he demanded, "Of course we are! I give you money and you saved my life! That's what friends do! Is that Grace?"

Jefferson pulled his daughter closer when Hook's attention fell on her. He knew the pirate wouldn't hurt his daughter…he just knew somehow that he wouldn't but Jefferson felt protective all the same.

Killian bent over and smiled at her, "How old are you?"

"F-five," Grace said and peeked out from behind her father's legs in fascination at the man looking at her.

"Gods," he whispered and smiled at her, "I haven't seen you since you were this high."

He held up his hand a couple of feet off the ground. Gods, was Grace really that tiny once?

Grace hid behind her father's legs again, "Papa?"

"What are you doing here, Killian?" Jefferson demanded.

"Easy, I'm not here to rob you blind or whatever you think I'm capable of," he said, "I'm here to offer you my condolences and take you out to celebrate your wife's memory."

Jefferson knew what that meant immediately, "You want to get drunk?"

"Lift the glass, so to speak," Killian smirked and then turned serious, "Your wife saved my life once. By the law of the sea, when one saved the life of another, they become a brother…or a sister in her case."

"Right," Jefferson sneered, "_Sister."_

Killian knew his thoughts immediately because he smirked, "Well not blood related obviously."

Jefferson narrowed his eyes, "I can't. I have a daughter."

"You have servants and I shant keep you out late. But you need to get out; I've been trying to reach you for days."

Jefferson looked down at his daughter. She just stared back up at him.

Gods, he honestly needed a drink…or several…

He wanted to forget…however for a small time…

It wasn't wrong, adults did this all the time without their children…but why did he feel guilty?

He reached down and lifted up his daughter. She blushed when she looked at the pirate and wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her face in his shoulder, "Grace….look at me."

She did so and he saw her wide frightened eyes and nearly caved.

"I have to go talk to this man for a while."

Grace's eyes filled with tears, "Will you come back?"

His eyes filled with tears as well, "Yes sweetheart, I'll come back."

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Jefferson gathered his coat and a hat and started to move from the coatroom to the front when he saw Killian sitting at the table across from his daughter. Immediately his paternal instinct hit him and he crossed into the room to confront the pirate.

"Are you doing alright, little one?" Killian asked

Grace was quiet and she kept drawing.

"I'm sorry to hear about your mother," he said, "She and I were…very good friends."

The pirate was exaggerating, Jefferson thought. He would've moved into view then if his daughter didn't look up at the pirate with something like trust when she heard that, "I miss her."

"Do you tell your papa that?"

Grace looked down, "I can't. He gets upset."

Killian stood and started wondering around the room, "You know…I lost my mother at a very young age myself and I felt the same way you did. But my father…I couldn't talk to him about it because he wasn't a very nice man. I think that maybe your father might be different."

Jefferson was aware a tear slipped down his face and he looked at his daughter as she stared at the pirate, "Are you taking him away?"

"Oh little one," the pirate pulled out a small doll from his pocket and handed it to her, "Not for long. I'll bring him back."

Grace accepted it reluctantly and Jefferson walked into the room. She smiled at him but the brightness in her eyes when her mother was alive was gone, "Papa! Look at what your friend gave me!"

"It's very nice," he tried to give her a smile; "I do have to wonder where the pirate got it."

Killian shrugged, "I saw it in a pillag- erm…I mean I saw it in a shop and I thought your daughter might like it."

"Thank you," she stared at it and held it tightly.

"Are you ready?" Jefferson asked.

"Yes," He said and gave a warm smile at Grace.

Jefferson waited till he was out of the room and he knelt beside his daughter, "Grace, I'm just stepping out with Killian and I'll be back by tonight, okay?"

"But why?" she asked.

"Because your papa needs to get out of the house for a while," he said, "But when I come back…you and I are going to have a long talk about your mother, okay?"

Her eyes filled with tears and she nodded, "Okay papa."

He wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed her face, "I love you."

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"Your wife….," Killian slurred "…had the best thighs I've ever seen."

Jefferson couldn't tell which Killian he was supposed to be looking at and he was going to go cross-eyed by looking at both of them, "Thank you, I think her eyes were my favorite part of her too."

Killian scowled, "Not eyes! _Thighs_! That wife of yours had the most…symmetric firm legs I've ever seen in my life. I would've given anything to squeeze them…among other parts. But I could've done some amazing things with those thighs."

Jefferson slugged his arm….oh, so he should be focusing on the Killian on the left…

Killian rubbed his arm, "That hurt!"

"It's not like you would've respected her!"

"I'd have respected her just fine; she'd have made a bloody good pirate if she hadn't stuck with you."

Jefferson started sobbing at that. There was no….warning or anything, but as soon as Killian opened his mouth and said that, Jefferson started crying, "Maybe she'd be alive."

Killian clamped his mouth shut, "I didn't mean it like that."

Jefferson wiped his eyes, but the tears kept coming, "I don't know how to raise a daughter."

"Yeah," Killian muttered, "I heard they're tough to deal with."

"And it's my fault," Jefferson sobbed, "She lost her mother…I can't let her lose her father too."

"Oh mate," Killian said, "It's not your fault. Seems to me it's the imp's fault that she died. He didn't even accompany you to make sure Karenina got home safely. You lost a wife and your little one lost a mother because of his negligence. I heard he can see the future, so why wouldn't he make sure she was safe?"

"Because it's not absolute like that."

"Or he didn't care," Killian said, "And Karenina stopped being useful the moment she fought that jabborwock. You do have to ask yourself….what does he want for you and your little one if you're still useful."

Jefferson shook his head, "We're not part of his game or agenda. He practically raised me-."

"He ripped the heart out of his wife's chest and crushed it even though he loved her once," Killian snapped, "What makes you think he wouldn't use you and your wife too?"

Even though Jefferson had been nursing the idea that Rumpelstiltskin was using them for a long time, he felt angry when the pirate suggested it. He swung at the Killian on the left of his vision and watched the pirate fall.

Everyone stopped talking and watched. Jefferson felt a small wave of guilt (and nausea) as he stared down at the pirate. With a sigh, he reached down and offered his hand. The pirate gripped it and Jefferson pulled him up.

"Did that make you feel better?" the pirate asked.

Jefferson stared into his mug, "Not really."

The pirate almost looked sympathetic, "Well…because you saved my life and that makes you my brother…you only got one shot."

Jefferson glared into his mug.

Killian lifted his mug, "To your lady, may she find peace in the afterlife."

Jefferson raised his mug as well, "More than what I could give her."

They slammed the mugs together, drank the contents and slammed the mugs down.

"I should get home to my daughter," Jefferson said. Maybe a few years ago, going out and getting drunk to get rid of his feelings would've been an acceptable pastime but he couldn't find peace here…he'd be more content rocking his daughter to sleep.

"Yes," Killian said with disappointment in his voice, "We can't have you bending down to kiss her goodnight and she can't breathe because of how bad you smell."

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Jefferson didn't find Grace in her bed. He found her curled up in his, on Karenina's side asleep.

She was getting a bit too old for this. Karenina would be angry if she was sleeping with them at 5 years old but….she just lost her mother and she was terrified of losing him too. For now she felt safe next to him so he would allow it.

He saw on the edge of the bed, "Grace?"

She still slept with her mother's doll. The one that Killian had given her was left in her room. She stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes, "Papa?"

He fought tears, "I'm sorry I went out tonight, I shouldn't have left you."

He lifted her up into his lap and cradled her against his chest. He kicked his shoes off…and stretched them out on the bed. He really wished he'd thought to remove the vest.

"Grace, I don't know what to do," he whispered as he held his little girl, "So you and I are going to have to stick by each other and handle this one day at a time, okay? We're going to make mistakes but …I think we can get through this if we try"

Grace started crying again and he pressed his lips to her head, "Okay papa."

He leaned against the bed and held her and he realized he was most likely going to fall asleep like this and that might end up being complicated once the hangover set in, "Grace?"

"Yes?"

"Promise your old papa that you'll never get drunk. It's not fun sweetie."


	44. Chapter 44

A couple of months passed. The pain of his wife's loss wasn't as brutal but it was still constant for Grace and Jefferson. Grace was beginning to understand that her mother wasn't coming back. Sometimes she would burst into random tears at odd times and seek him for comfort. Other times she'd just go quiet and not talk for hours.

Grace didn't sleep in his bed anymore; he had to put his foot down on that. Instead, he compromised. He stayed with her in her room until she fell asleep.

Separation was a hard thing to get through as well. He couldn't be gone for more than two hours from home without returning to find Grace hidden under her bed, sobbing. She told him she was scared he would leave and not come back.

He held her and kissed her and comforted her as best he could. He didn't know…how to help his daughter handle death. He'd been surrounded by it since birth whereas Grace had not been. He had kept her away from the harsh world because he didn't want her hurt…and that had just hurt her even more.

He didn't think he was even doing it right. Annabelle and Peter assured him that he was doing fine, but he felt like…he should be doing something. He didn't like seeing his little girl hurt. He hated seeing her like this

Jefferson still stuck by his proclamation and refused to take in any clients. He knew that might be detrimental soon. The money would run out eventually, then what was he supposed to do? Become a hatter again?

It wouldn't be too bad, perhaps. Jefferson had made good money for the family he worked for when he was a hatter.

But that was because he could flirt and charm any girl and that was back in his youth. How was he supposed to do that and stomach what he was doing while mourning his wife of seven years?

It was still something to consider though.

But he still made cuts to his servants. He dismissed his gardener and he dismissed Louie. Jefferson could learn to cook for himself. Honestly the only reason he had even hired a cook in the first place was a show of status.

As for the gardens…well…Annabelle could attend to that. She always talked about gardening in her older years. He and Grace could clean up after themselves, they didn't need a maid. It had been a thought to dismiss Peter and Annabelle as well, but he couldn't bring himself to go through with it. They were the closest thing he'd ever had to parents and they were his rock now. They were so patient with him when he brought them on and he was…different than what he was now. Most servants would run off crying but they stuck with him.

And Karenina was gone because of him. He didn't want to rob Grace of them either.

They were the only ones he trusted to watch her when he went to go visit Karenina's grave by himself. He didn't stick her in a hole in the ground that…it just didn't feel right. He had her placed in a mausoleum instead and that's where he and Grace went to place flowers on the grave.

But more often than naught, he came here by himself. He wanted Grace to remember her mother alive. Not…what she was now in that stone coffin.

There were still dead weeds on the small stand where Grace had put the flowers she picked from the garden. Jefferson didn't remove them. When he picked a peaceful place in this maze, he had hoped that the caretaker at least wouldn't avoid it too.

He placed some sunflowers on the stand this time. His wife had a soft spot for sunflowers…and maybe they'd bring some light on the place.

"Very lovely place you picked."

Jefferson felt his blood run cold at the voice behind it. It wasn't the nasal high pitched voice that he was used to…but he had known Rumpelstiltskin long enough to recognize it anyway.

Jefferson turned slowly. He felt his anger start to surface. After two months and the imp was just now showing himself? Jefferson _needed _him. Rumpelstiltskin was one of the closest things Jefferson had to a father figure and when his wife died to get something Rumpelstiltskin wanted, he was nowhere to be found.

Everything the captain said was true, he was a coward.

"What are you doing here?" he spat.

"Paying my respects," Rumpelstiltskin said and placed a dozen roses on Karenina's grave, "Your wife and I had….our issues but she'll always have a special place in my heart."

Jefferson watched as the imp kissed two fingers and placed them on the stone coffin. It was a sign of respect

Jefferson refused to look at him, "We didn't get the jabborwock blood."

"It's fine," the imp said, "There are other portal jumpers I have that handled it."

Jefferson swallowed his anger, "So then you won't take Grace?"

"No dearie," Rumpelstiltskin said calmly, "I think you've lost enough."

When the confirmation of his daughter's safety was ensured, Jefferson felt his hand curl into a fist. He wouldn't lose Grace. Good.

He slammed his fist as hard as he could in Rumpelstiltskin's face. The thing stumbled backwards but he didn't retaliate. Jefferson felt his anger surface and he punched Rumpelstiltskin again, grabbed the imp by the lapels of his waistcoat and shoved him against the stone coffin, "You took my wife!"

"We had an agreement."

"You could've gone with us!" he screamed, "You could've made sure she was safe!

"I could not," he said, "The Queen of Hearts and I have some…history."

Jefferson felt himself shaking, "Karenina died because you were too scared to face your former lover?"

"Dearie, it's not quite so simple as that, if she sensed my magic and my power…none of us would've lived long enough to get back home."

Jefferson lost his patience and punched him again.

"Easy dearie," Rumpelstiltskin said with an edge in his voice, "There are several hits from you that I deserve, but remember boy, I have limited patience."

"Did you know?" he demanded, "Did you know that she was going to die?"

"No," he told him, "Karenina wasn't supposed to die."

Jefferson felt his blood run cold, "Then what was supposed to happen?"

The imp said nothing and Jefferson angrily slammed him against the pillar, "Why is my family important to you?"

"Because your daughter was supposed to be more than just a miracle child!" Rumpelstiltskin snapped.

Jefferson drew in a shuddering breath, "What do you want with my daughter?"

And then Rumpelstiltskin told him a tale…one that was unbelievable. About how he used to be a man who had a wife and son…until he lost both. And he told him how he planned to get Baelfire back."

"I need to forsake this world for the next," Rumpelstiltskin explained.

"You'd destroy everyone for your own kid?"

"Would you do any less for Grace?" he demanded and then continued, "But to forsake this world for the next…I needed a monster."

"Regina," he muttered, "You corrupted her…and you brought me in to do it…why? So she could focus on us?"

"Well, I had a belief that she was going to turn her attentions on Snow White but there was a chance that she would turn against you as well. I had to cover my options, there are so many ways this could go and I don't want it all to fall through again."

Horror filled Jefferson, "So, that's it? You…preyed on my want for a family, something I've wanted since I was five years old, and you gave me a wife so that you could manipulate us into having a daughter and so…what? You could have her be your little…hero? And you were going to rip apart my family to get it?"

"Karenina wasn't supposed to die."

"Well she did!" he screamed. And to make everything worse, Grace wasn't even his main focus, she was his backup plan.

"Not everything was ready," Rumpelstiltskin said, "There were things that still needed gathering-."

"You used me!" he screamed, "And you used Karenina, you tricked us into getting together so you could use an innocent girl!"

"I didn't trick you into doing anything," he hissed, "You're true loves. Your paths would've crossed eventually. Probably much later though. I helped you. I gave you seven years."

Jefferson could kill him, "You…stay away from my family. If you go near my daughter or myself then I will kill you."

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes darkened at that threat, "Well good luck living long enough."

He disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

And Jefferson knew he had to go into hiding.


	45. Chapter 45

Jefferson kept everything as quiet as possible after he returned home. He packed things he would need; food, money, books...

He bought a few plainer dresses for Grace that was a bit bigger than she was. And he told her to pack the toys she couldn't bear to leave behind. Grace grabbed everything her mother gave her.

And that stupid doll that the pirate gave her too. She even packed a tea set. She shoved everything into a carpet bag that he'd specifically designed for her toys. It was so large it looked ready to burst.

"Where are we going?" Grace asked as he carried her downstairs as quietly as possible. He had left a note for Peter and Annabelle. He told them that he had to leave and he wasn't coming back. He told them that Grace was in danger from his dealings with the Dark One. He wrote several pages explaining that he didn't want to do this and that he truly loved them like parents and mentors. He left them the house and the money he couldn't carry with him. He left letters of recommendation for when the money ran out. They wouldn't have trouble finding work. They already had an incredibly impressive resume.

"We're going to live in a new house," he placed her on the horse that he'd taken outside. There were two animals. One for his daughter and one for the supplies that the other horse couldn't carry.

"What's wrong with this one?"

The Dark One could find them in this one.

But he didn't tell Grace that. He didn't tell her any of what Rumpelstiltskin had done. Her mind couldn't comprehend it. What she could comprehend would terrify her.

How else was she supposed to react if the Dark One claimed he wanted to use her for his own purposes?

He reached up and kissed his little girl's face, "I want…to get you away from anything that might remind you too much of your mother. I think that its' time we try to move on and heal."

Well, it wasn't a complete lie. There was a lot here that reminded him of Karenina, but...he didn't want to leave it. The pillows still smelled like her on the bed and he knew that he'd forget what she smelled like by the end of the week.

If not for the parchment in his pocket that held his wife's likeness, then he ran the risk of one day forgetting what she looked like.

Grace started crying, "But I wanna stay here!"

"I know," he whispered and fought tears himself, "I know, sweetie. But we can't."

"Why not?" she sobbed.

"Because…it's not safe," he told her, "And we need to go."

"Can't we say goodbye to Peter and Annabelle?" she asked.

He shook his head. He wanted to. But Rumpelstiltskin might be looking for them when he found out that they were gone. He would be demanding their location from the servants. He wouldn't torture it out of them if they truly didn't know. This was his way of keeping them safe. It would break their hearts but…better that they stayed alive.

"No Grace," he put a necklace on her that would shield them from Rumpelstiltskin's gaze, "We can't."

Grace cried harder and he climbed behind her and urged the horses forward.

"I'm sorry Grace," he whispered, "I'm truly sorry."

"But why are we leaving?" she demanded.

He already answered that but he knew her child mind was just trying to make some sense out of the changes he was forcing on her.

"One day," he promised, "One day you will understand."

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The pirate's ship wasn't that hard to find at the docks. When Jefferson sent a message to Killian, the pirate was only too happy to help.

As long as it angered Rumpelstiltskin, Killian would go to Hades and back to meet a goal.

Killian was going to take them to the other side of the realm. It was much faster on ship and Rumpelstiltskin couldn't get on board thanks to the enchantments. It was safer this way. His spies couldn't find them if they weren't travelling by road.

Killian greeted both with a large arrogant smile. He walked down the plank and patted Grace on the head. Grace sobbed again and turned against her father's leg, "Still a shy little thing, I see."

"Yeah, it was rough getting her away."

"Aye," Killian looked at him grimly, "I can imagine."

Killian turned and gave the order for his crew to take Jefferson and Grace's things below. Jefferson lifted up his daughter and kissed her cheek. She didn't return it.

One day, she would understand.

He carried her onto the ship.


	46. Chapter 46

Since Jefferson was on a boat with nothing but hardened bawdy men, he was absolutely terrified of letting his young daughter out of his sight. He did not know these people, and even if he did, he wouldn't leave her alone. They were pirates. They would sell her to Rumpelstiltskin if it meant getting them gold. He waited for betrayal, but it never came. The crew was quite pleasant to Grace. They tipped their hats at her and called her 'my lady' and she just….ate it all up. She watched from her perch on the helm as they worked and asked endless questions either to him or Killian. Most Killian answered patiently and he sometimes bowed to Grace's awe…Jefferson couldn't answer his daughter's questions in his own right…he didn't know much about ships. It just made Killian more fascinating for her.

So he guarded her. The captain allowed them his own quarters for the journey while he slept with the crew. It didn't seem like it was something that the captain was particularly happy about but he claimed when they started out that he would give them the best of everything in the journey. It was payment for his debt of Karenina saving his life.

"Papa," Grace started as they got ready for bed their fourth night there.

"Yes, Grace?"

"Could we stay here?"

Jefferson looked at his daughter incredulously as he tucked her into the large bed that held both of them for the journey, "A ship isn't a safe place for a little girl, Grace."

"But we'd be safe, here. You even said so."

He shuddered at the thought of Rumpelstiltskin. But there were worse threats for a girl on the imp that wanted to exploit her, "From some threats, not from others."

He gave her a paternal kiss on her head and lifted the covers over her, "Where are we going?"

Jefferson sat by her bedside. Every night this was what they did. Jefferson couldn't sleep well…not without Karenina so he would sit with Grace until she fell asleep and then he'd walk around until he was tired. Grace slept hard, she barely moved all night so she wouldn't miss him in the dark room by himself.

"I don't know," he kissed her forehead, "I don't. Killian said he's going to take us to a place where we can find some land to live on. Maybe…if we find it cheap enough we can have a small farm. Maybe we could….if things work out then we could have a horse maybe…maybe some chickens and some cows, would you like that? "

"I want to go home," Grace whispered.

"I know," he told her.

"I want mommy"

He fought tears, "I want her back too. More than anything. Just like I want you safe. That's why we have to leave, Grace. When you're older, you'll understand but not now."

"What could be so bad?"

He didn't' want to scare his daughter but he couldn't lie to her, "The world is full of scary monsters, little one. And not just the ones that your mother used to fight. Some of them are a lot sneakier than that."

Grace just stared up at him with her big dark eyes, "Papa?"

"Yes."

"Would you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

He smiled at his little girl, "I always do."

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"The Northeast Realms."

Jefferson stood on deck next to Killian. Grace as asleep an hour ago when they docked. Most of the men had left but Killian and Jefferson remained.

It looked…exactly the same as home. But Jefferson shouldn't be surprised. One had to go to another world to really see any sort of difference. This was the enchanted forest. From every forest he'd ever been to, most looked the same.

"The woods are thick here," Killian told him, "Hard to find someone if they don't want to be found. You'll disappear quietly"

"Regina rules these woods," he noted.

"Am I supposed to know who that is?"

"An ally of Rumpelstiltskin."

"Well," Killian said with distaste in his mouth, "Every royal is an ally of Rumpelstiltskin's for the right price. Unless you stay on the ship which I would not recommend…you would be in peril no matter where you were."

"I should jump worlds," Jefferson whispered.

"You could for a while," Killian noted, "But those worlds have dangers as well…and he'd find you. What would happen if he took her through another portal and you couldn't get back? Two go in and two come out if I remember correctly. How would you accomplish getting back if you were the only one?"

"There are ways."

"Yes, I've heard of some ways," he said, "And you know that if Rumpelstiltskin got that hat, then he'd be waiting for you to return through it. IT would be better if you stayed here. In your homeland. In your daughter's homeland….but just hidden. It'll be quite the change for a wealthy man, but you're adaptable. You'll find a way."

"How would you know?" Jefferson asked.

Killian's smirk faded, "We're a lot alike, you and I. I was but a poor boy in poverty when my father, as a fugitive, abandoned me to pirates. And now look at me. I adjusted. As will you."

"I don't want this life for her," Jefferson confessed

"No real father would want this life for their child," Killian told him, "And it's thanks to the Crocodile that you lost your wife and have to go into hiding to protect your daughter."

"I'm not sure I can do this without my wife," Jefferson confessed.

"You have to," Killian told him, "Not even the most powerful sorcerers can revive the dead."

"I know," he looked at Killian and then shook his hand, "Thank you…for helping us. You have my thanks…for what good that does.'

"You're leaving tonight?" Killian asked in surprise.

"I can probably get through faster in the dark without spies seeing me."

Killian huffed and looked towards the cabin where Grace slept, "Let the little one have one more night before she is forced to go off into the unknown."

Jefferson wanted to refuse. But he couldn't deny that he wanted one more night in a feather bed as well."

"Very well," he agreed.

"Besides," Killian muttered, "She's stolen my men's hearts, I imagine they'll want to say goodbye to her."

Jefferson scoffed, "They're pirates!"

"Aye!" Killian said in frustration, "I keep reminding them!"


	47. Chapter 47

The hut was small. There was only one room. The door was hard to open, the windows were dirty and there were various bits of junk scattered all over the floor. The smell of must nearly made him gag.

"This is your best house?" he looked at the mayor of the small village.

"Yes," the mayor said, "Far enough away from the others and hidden in the woods like you wished but close to the well. It's a good deal."

Jefferson looked to the house and then to the well. He wasn't sure he liked his home being this close to the water supply. Grace could fall in.

But he and Grace had been travelling for two weeks…getting deeper and deeper into the woods, if he kept going at this rate, he would find himself right back at Rumpelstiltskin's castle.

Grace looked up at him and smiled. She was wearing the read tri-cornered hat that one of the pirates gave her before they left. IT was too big for her head, but she hadn't taken it off. Jefferson wasn't sure he wanted that thing on his daughter's head but she glared at him when he tried to take it off. It was very much her mother's look.

Anyway, she needed to keep the sun off her face somehow.

Was this truly the best house in the village?

He wanted to keep travelling but this was the biggest hut he'd come across, and it would take some work but…it did look like one of the sturdier huts he'd been to.

And he didn't want to spend another night with his daughter tucked up beside him on the road…jumping at every noise.

He looked around, "I'll need a couple of beds…."

"I can only get you one for tonight," the man said.

Jefferson nodded. At least Grace would have a bed to sleep on. He had steered clear of the inns, Rumpelstiltskin had spies and he didn't want to be tracked. "That's fine."

He and the mayor made an exchange and he looked around his…his new house about two minutes later. Gods, they downsized SO BADLY.

But no…he wasn't going to panic…this unfortunately, was best for Grace.

Jefferson looked down at his daughter and held his hands out. Grace reached for them and he lifted her up, "You and I…we're going to have a lot of work ahead of us, but if you're in it for the long haul, then so am I."

"Is this home?"

He wanted to tell her no, that they'd return to their old lives someday but he knew they wouldn't. Maybe one day they could live slightly better.

"Yeah sweetie," he whispered, "This is where we'll be living."

Grace gave him a sad look, "It's not…so bad."

"Yeah, we'll make it work," he gave her as sweet a smile as he could, "Give papa a kiss."

Grace kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her close.

He could do this. He would gladly deal with living out in the open as long as his daughter was safe. It'd just take a few adjustments and sacrifices.

He didn't need most of that stuff anyway.

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He had went to the butcher's shop and brought back some food for him and Grace for a couple of days. He probably shouldn't have spent the money he did but this was a special occasion. They had a new place to live.

He had gotten Grace's bed assembled…her toys and stuffed animals covered them like it was a blanket of protection all its own.

It was the sight of that that made him break down He didn't know why. Maybe it was the image of innocence that clashed against the grimy cabin but he just…started sobbing.

Maybe it was everything that happened…he didn't know.

Grace put her tray of food down and moved over to him, "It's okay, papa. It's not so bad here….there are flowers in the back…"

Weeds. Wildflowers. But he knew Grace thought they were beautiful. And he genuinely appreciated her attempts, "Come here, Grace."

She crawled into his lap and wiped tears from his face.

He kissed her temple, "I'm going to tell you about the adventures your mother and I had."


	48. Chapter 48

The house came together slowly but surely for the next two days. Jefferson threw things out…he cleaned, he scrubbed and he moved around the few goods they had until he was somewhat satisfied. He bought a bed for himself and bought a weaving loom so he could bring in some money (Not many villagers needed hats that he was trained in creating).

Grace helped in any way she could. She stood next to him and scrubbed windows, he made her a small broom so that she could sweep out the debris with him…he didn't mind it. She wasn't in the way. He wanted her to where he could keep an eye on her.

They worked all day to restore the house into proper living conditions and in the evening, he took her to the back of the house where she picked flowers and fed the ducks that wandered from the lake.

He bought a table and set it at the entrance. He placed a basket of flowers that he bought and set Karenina's jewelry box there. He dedicated that area of the house to her. It hurt still…not as badly since they moved. He didn't want Grace to ever forget her mother.

He doubted she would. The pain still hurt him every day; he could only imagine what it was like for his little girl.

He and Grace were picking flowers when three people; two women and a man approached him. His first instinct was that they were spies and he pushed his daughter behind them but he realized they didn't look like spies. He knew Rumpelstiltskin's spies well enough to be able to detect them. He always did.

"Hello," the first woman greeted with a warm welcoming smile, "I take it that you're the new neighbor."

They weren't Rumpelstiltskin's spies….they were just…neighbors. They were just friendly neighbors...giving food or whatever.

Jefferson never had…friendly neighbors before. Most were the fake nice that filthy rich people exhibited but Jefferson always saw right through that. The light in these people's eyes seemed genuine.

Maybe Rumpelstiltskin knew that Jefferson recognized his usual array of spies and sent these people.

Or maybe he was just being paranoid.

"Yes," Jefferson cleared his throat, "I'm Jefferson."

"Hello," the woman smiled, "I'm Elizabeth…and this is my husband Charles and my sister Darlene."

The sister was tall and thin, with bright red hair and large brown eyes. She couldn't be any older than nineteen. She blushed when he looked at her and averted her gaze. When he turned away, he saw that she automatically looked at him in fascination.

Oh gods….

"Hello," he greeted awkwardly and nearly stumbled back when he felt Grace standing right behind him, peeking out from behind his legs.

"We just…wanted to come here and say hello."

Jefferson racked his mind for the polite thing to do, "W-why don't you come in, perhaps I can serve you a drink. There aren't many places to sit, but we'll think of something."

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They had come for two reasons. The first; to welcome him. To let him know that no matter what he was running from, he was safe.

The second; was to see if he was single because the sister was single and they were looking to see if he was a suitable mate.

Jefferson thought about it as he lay in his bed that night. It was tempting…Grace would have a mother…he would have some comfort…he could learn to love her. There were other kinds of love other than true love. And he would be faithful and loving, he could make it work.

But that wasn't enough to make a marriage and he knew that. It wouldn't be fair to the girl that he married her for convenient purposes with the promise to love her later. That wouldn't be right and he would end up hating himself because he knew that that would break her heart.

Karenina was his true love. Nothing could ever repair that hole in his heart. And he knew that he was setting himself up for disaster if he tried. He shouldn't find a wife; he should focus on raising his daughter. If there was a wife for him then it would be happening naturally. He would still mourn as long as he felt necessary to mourn but he wouldn't take a wife just so his child could have a mother. She did have a mother; Karenina.

With that decision made, he turned over and went to sleep and it was the best sleep that he had in a very long while.


	49. Chapter 49

When Grace was six, Jefferson worked up the bravery enough to journey with the others to go to the nearest town. She needed new clothes…some of the village women that had a…affinity for him as his situation had given Grace second hand clothes but he had made a bit of money working in the fields while the neighbors watched his daughter. The first thing he wanted to do was get her a completely new dress.

Jefferson probably spent more than he should on clothes and…sweets as he and Grace spent their first day in town. But it was shaping up to be a cold winter and he wanted to make sure they were nice and snug as the winds slammed against the shudders and the snow poured down around them.

Jefferson would be grateful for the months of staying indoors. He could rest…working in the fields was something he had never done before. He wasn't used to it. His hands blistered and then the blisters ruptured and now his hands were rough and calloused. He back ached and he developed muscles that he wasn't even aware he had.

Sometimes at night, he longed for the days when he could make money just by taking someone from one place to another. But he was always quick to dismiss the idea before it took root.

He wouldn't. He couldn't do that to Grace. The only reason he kept his hat was because he didn't want anyone else to use it like he had. But he couldn't bring himself to destroy it either; he was going to keep it in case he and Grace needed to make a quick getaway.

It was one of the things that he carried with him on his journey though. He took it to town with him. He didn't feel comfortable leaving the hat at home all day, his door had a lock that never really worked.

He also bought a few choice meats and food to celebrate the end of harvest. The village had a large festival and everyone contributed. Grace was looking forward to it. Jefferson couldn't care less, but he endured it because there was no reason not to.

Jefferson and his relationship with the village folk was a bit complicated. He treated them with respect and was polite but other than the family that lived next to them, he didn't care about any of them. He usually interacted with them if he needed something. But he wasn't looking for friends and he wasn't looking for a wife so they served no point in his eyes. So he tolerated them but he wasn't looking to establish a bond that would last a lifetime.

But Grace tried. She had been entered into their school and had bonded with several of the children.

And when she wasn't there with him, he allowed is mind to wonder even more. He still missed Karenina. It was worse when he was alone in the house. Every day he made it his objective to remember his wife's face but the faces of his friends…of Annabelle, and Peter and Louie…he was starting to forget. And that bothered him because they'd been there for him for so long.

Grace matched his pace as they walked the few miles back home. A year ago, Jefferson was worried that Rumpelstiltskin's spies might recognize him. But now he wore cheaper clothes and his hair had grown out into a shaggy mess…and Grace was starting to look a bit different as well, he didn't necessarily feel safe, he did acknowledge that there were things that needed to be done and so here they were. They could've waited another night and Grace could've ridden in the back of one of the wagons with the other children but Jefferson wanted to get home tonight. He felt it in his bones that things were going to get cold. He wanted by his warm fireplace before it happened.

They stopped to rest when the village was in view and after a few minutes of catching their breath, they were walking again.

Jefferson realized that things were wrong when he saw smoke rising from one of the houses. When he got closer, he saw that things were very wrong…people were lying injured in the village…some of the houses were scorched and others had roofs caved in and windows were broken.

Alexi, a 16 year old boy stumbled over. His eye was so swollen that it was shut and he had a gash down his face that would leave a hideous scar.

Jefferson looked at him, "What happened?"

"Looters," the boy whispered. The gash opened up a bit wider and blood started to drip down. Jefferson moved Grace behind him so that she couldn't see it, "T-they waited until we were more vulnerable and they took…they took everything.

Jefferson automatically grabbed his daughter and raced to his hut. The door was splintered open…Jefferson ran in with his daughter looking behind him.

His house had been ripped apart. Grace's toys were scattered but very few were ripped up thank Gods…

He saw that the doll that Karenina gave Grace was broken….oh gods no...

Grace saw it as well. She clung to his leg and started sobbing when she saw it.

Karenina's jewelry box was overturned. Her wedding ring was gone.

Jefferson saw that his bed was overturned. He rushed over and pulled the mattress up. He'd hidden a lot of the money in the mattress and sewed it shut. IT was only going to be for emergency.

Or would've been…it certainly wasn't now because it was gone.

No…no, no, no, no.

"Papa," Grace sobbed.

Jefferson turned around and picked her up. He didn't want her to see it like this. He needed to get her somewhere safe so that he could assess the damage.

And try to figure out how they were supposed to live.


	50. Chapter 50

Jefferson worked his fingers to the bone to make ends meet. He worked in the fields, he worked at a loom, he tailored, he dug in the woods for mushrooms they could sell at market, he took jobs that no one else wanted so that he and his daughter could survive.

But it seemed like the more he made, the faster the money would go. Grace was growing…food prices were always raising, living prices were already rising. Droughts and famines struck the lands. Some said Rumpelstiltskin was looking for someone and this was going to be punishments until he found them.

Jefferson didn't sleep for two nights after he heard that rumor.

Some days it was hard not to go back. Some days, he would've loved nothing more than to jump in the hat and continue working for his daughter. But he couldn't, several times when he went through the hat; he had to fight to get back. One day, his luck would run out and he wouldn't return to his daughter at all.

However, that temptation was always there.

Those in the village came and went. He was always the subject of much excitement for the single women of the village. He never told them where he was from or what happened to his wife…so the mystery just added to the appeal, he supposed.

But he ignored them for the most part. It'd been four years since Karenina's passing and he was not interested in taking another wife. Maybe if he didn't have Grace, then he would've found someone for comfort but that wasn't the way things went.

He had his daughter. She was his life. She was the only thing that kept him going most days and he wouldn't trade her for the world.

When she turned nine, he decided that she was old enough to come to the woods and help him work. He had thought that she would slow him down at first but she surprised him. She was an excellent seeker and tracker.

He taught her how to hunt in those woods. He taught her which mushrooms to pick and which ones to avoid (His school education when he was ten didn't completely leave him). Grace caught on. At first she cried when they hunted animals but Jefferson taught her how to shoot in a way that killed immediately. Some fathers didn't like teaching their daughters how to kill animals but Jefferson felt he had to. If something ever happened to him, then Grace would need to know this. There was talk of the Ogre war coming to their side of the Enchanted Forest and meat fetched a pretty price in market. So he taught her, and Grace, like her mother before her, was a natural.

The woods were where he bonded with Grace. It was where he could talk to her without any distractions. They talked about school, and his life…and his childhood at the boarding school. They talked about why she should NEVER trust Rumpelstiltskin. He always talked as much as he could about her mother as well. He never wanted her to forget her mother.

Jefferson took it one day at a time.

And then one day….he and Grace came home from gathering mushrooms for the trip to market for the next day….

And he saw Regina's carriage outside his door.


	51. Chapter 51

When he saw the carriage at the house, he knew immediately it was Regina. Black and gaudy…the soldiers outside wore those ridiculous uniforms that only Regina would think was intimidating…

They were intimidating but for different reasons than that. He knew they could hurt his daughter or hurt him…they could burn his house down and he couldn't stop them or really find vengeance if they decided to make his life miserable. Regina's soldiers were nothing more than bullies looking to get some pleasurable moments in the misery they faced.

Regina could only be here for one reason…or maybe two reasons since he had shown an attraction for her eons ago, but he wasn't interested in any of those. He wasn't interested in portal jumping and he wasn't interested in her.

Jefferson had heard rumors about her since he met her. They said that she spent most of her time with the Dark One. During a rumor of pregnancy, they said it was Rumpelstiltskin's child that she carried. Regina was never pregnant though. She couldn't have children. As a child, she'd taken one of her mother's potions without her knowing about it and it rendered her sterile. Her mother never knew. Regina herself didn't even know, but Rumpelstiltskin did. He'd been there to take the potion away from her before it did more damage.

He took most of the rumors for what rumors usually were. But after Leopold died, the rumors grew far darker than he could anticipate. They say that Regina killed him and framed her step daughter. They say she ruled her land by dark magic. They said that she was going from village to village slaughtering everyone if Snow had been sighted there.

And now here she was at his hovel.

Jefferson had to at least consider these rumors partially true. If he didn't then he risked his daughter being put in danger.

He had gone four years without magic ruling his life…gods he didn't want to go headfirst back in it.

He put on a show for his daughter, like he always did when he was afraid. He even looked back and gave her a jovial smile that she didn't seem to buy. But she went into the woods to hide, thank gods. HE worried about wolves and other things that dwelled there but there was a bigger wolf in his home that might actually eat her live.

The soldiers made no move to stop him when he walked through his door. Regina was by herself waiting for him (He was right about her being gaudy, how many crows gave their feathers for that neckline?). She was holding one of Grace's dolls. Jefferson gave no awkward indication but his felt his insides tense up. His blood boiled with rage that she was in here…

Regina had lit the candle at Karenina's memorial.

That angered him and immediately set his resolve. She came into his house uninvited and was messing with the few toys that Grace had left and thought she was welcome to pay homage to his wife.

Regina studied him, "I'd like to say you're looking well, Jefferson, but I'd be lying. Poverty doesn't suit you."

He wondered if she practiced that before she came here. He wasn't going to play her game. He casually took off his coat, "What are you doing here, Regina?"

"I have a job for you."

No. He immediately decided, and he sneered, "I don't do that anymore."

"Yes, I heard you hung up your hat," Regina said like it was something he should've been ashamed of, "Why? Is it because of your sweet daughter Grace?"

She knew that he had a daughter. He had guessed that as soon as he came in but to hear her acknowledge he had a daughter just gave him chills, "Because of my work, she lost her mother. I don't want her to lose her father too."

"So now you're foraging for fungus," Regina mocked.

Jefferson gave a casual shrug. It was just one of the many things he did but he wasn't going to let his pride lead to an argument between the two

"Do this one last favor for me…and you can give her the life she deserves."

He knew how addiction worked. He knew if he did this job then he'd fall back in the rabbit hole. His daughter may deserve a better life but she needed him as a good stable father more than she needed material goods.

"That's why I'm staying. You don't abandon family," he leaned forward to make her feel as uncomfortable as he did with her being there, "that's…what she deserves. Now, please leave."

Regina did not go to the door, nor did he expect her to. A queen did not get thrown out of a hovel, "All I need is your special skills to get me somewhere. Somewhere you've been before."

She waved a piece of paper in his face, "Do it and I can change your life."

He only took the paper because he was curious and she wouldn't leave unless he did.

IT was some sort of handwritten note, he scanned it for any worlds he might recognize and froze when he saw the destination.

_Wonderland. _

His wife died there

He felt his blood run cold…after all these years he still remembered everything…the cries of his wife, the panic he felt, the warmth of her blood draining out of her….

Regina was looking for any sign of weakness but he didn't give it. He wouldn't give her that satisfaction, "What business could you possibly have there?"

"Something of mine was taken and found its way over there. I want it back."

He wasn't going to relive the trauma he had felt that day for an _object_. Just summon a new one!

He gave her back the note, "Then find someone else to get it."

"I see," Regina said but he knew from that look in her eyes that he had just challenged her and she was now determined, "Hard living has strengthened your resolve. Well, I'm sorry I couldn't convince you, but I understand. There's nothing more important than family."

Jefferson held her gaze until she left and he let his eyes wonder over to the memorial of his wife.

Never again. He had promised himself and her memory when she died in his arms. Never again.

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He heard nothing from Regina for three months. He continued to work but he didn't fraternize with everyone as much as he used to. After all, someone told Regina he was here and someone told her about Grace. She could've gathered that from the house of course but the only thing that had Grace's name was her baby blanket and that was in the locked trunk and was undisturbed

It was with great reluctance that he went to markets every other week but they needed to eat. He made sure Grace stayed with him. She obeyed, she didn't say it but the Queen's sudden appearance had shaken her up.

They sold their mushrooms and other things and were on their way out when Grace spotted the toy cart. He walked slightly behind her as she immediately went for a white rabbit that looked expensive, "Wouldn't this make the perfect guest for our tea parties, papa? Can I have him? Pllleaaaseee?"

He smiled at his little girl and looked up at the old woman, "Excuse me. How much for the rabbit."

"That costs one silver," she said.

Jefferson looked at his small earnings. It wasn't enough, "Would you take it for eight coppers? That's all I have."

The old woman studied him, "Oh you are good father. Your last coppers for your little girls' happiness, ah?"

Jefferson rested a loving hand on his daughter's hair and went to give the woman the money, "Thank you."

It'd been so long since she had a toy that he hadn't made for her. Grace held onto the ones she still had because they reminded her of home. Even the one her mother gave her that the looters broke. Jefferson had patched it up as best he could but Grace kept it. Throwing it out was unthinkable to both of them.

"OH, I did not say I accept. Alas I cannot take less than one silver. The economy," she ripped the toy out of Grace's hands and he felt his heart break as her excited face fell, "You understand."

Jefferson felt his pride being wounded. There used to be a day when he could buy 20 of those for Grace if she asked for it and now he couldn't even scrape enough together to get her what she wanted.

Grace took it better than him, "It's okay papa. Come on – people are waiting."

But Jefferson felt his resolve strengthen, "I will not take no for an answer."

The old woman just watched him. Grace took his hand, "Papa please…I don't need it."

He was ashamed and humiliated; he felt his heart rip away as he was just reminded of how far he had fallen, "Come on sweetie."

He led his daughter away and smiled fondly at her as he led her away.

The village carriage needed to be loaded up anyway. It would probably get dirty anyway.

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The doll he made his daughter was pathetic compared to the one at the toy cart but he sewed it together and presented it to her anyway, "I know it's not the same as you wanted."

Grace smiled fondly at the toy, "I love it papa, thank you."

He blinked at her acceptance and gave a proud beaming smile. Sometimes he thought Grace was a lot stronger than he was living in this new world.

"Papa? Do you like your tea?"

Jefferson stared at the toys both old and new and he stared at this hut. It had bothered him since they got home. What kind of life did his daughter have if he couldn't even afford a toy rabbit? Gods, he wished he could say that she did have a good future but he knew she deserved more than this.

He gave it some thought. Maybe he could do it once. Just once and then he'd burn the hat so he didn't have to live with that addiction. He wasn't even going to do it for himself; he was going to do it for Grace.

"Grace….I want you to go to the neighbors for the rest of the day. There's work I have to do."

Grace gave him a pleading look. He understood her confusion. Usually he was very reluctant to leave her with someone, "Can't I come with you? I like being with you in the forest."

He gave a small smile, "I'm not going to the forest, sweetie."

Grace panicked, "This has to do with the Queen's visit, doesn't it? Whatever she wants you to do, don't do it."

So Grace had heard the rumors as well…gods he at least wanted to spare her that while she was waiting for him to come home, "Grace, I have to. I want you to have what you need."

"All I need is you, papa. Please stay!"

Of course she would say that because she didn't understand. There were few things about her life before this that she remembered. So she was content because she didn't know any better.

"Come here," she wrapped her arms around his neck and he lifted her up and walked her to where her small cloak was hanging, "I'm sorry baby, I have to go."

"Just promise me you'll come back!" she pleaded, "You have to promise."

"Of course," he smiled and draped the cloak around her shoulders.

"For our tea party," Grace said simply but he saw the fear in her eyes, "Promise?"

"I promise," he smiled at his baby, "I won't miss it for the world."

He pressed his lips against her forehead and opened the door, "Go."

He watched her run up to the neighbors and when he was certain she was safe with them, he went to the trunk and pulled out the hat that he swore he would never use again."

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There are several guards that escorted him through the castle. Once he had walked through the halls freely due to who he was but now that he was poor and scraggly looking, it felt like the entire army had come to take him to Regina's sitting room.

Regina seemed to think that 'dead bird feathers' were a fashion statement, he saw several women wearing that on the way here. He would hope his ex-wife would laugh at how ridiculous it looked.

"Jefferson," Regina purred, "So good to see you looking more like yourself. I assume you're here because you've reconsidered my offer?"

He felt the bile in the back of his throat. This was a bad idea, he was going to regret this and he knew it, "I want your guarantee. That, if I do what you ask, my daughter will want for nothing."

He wanted nothing for himself….but his daughter.

Regina gave a bow that he knew purposefully showed off her cleavage, "You have my word."

He gave her a dubious look.

"Perhaps we'll even find you a nice girl to marry and perhaps you can have that son to carry your name?"

He ignored that. He had no wish for a wife and he was happy enough with his daughter, and he was definitely not going to meet anyone Regina would recommend.

"Now," Regina said, "Let's open that box of yours and see what it can do."

He pulled the hat out of the box and handled it carefully. He hadn't taken it out since he'd put it in the box after Karenina's death.

"I do so like a man who dresses for the occasion"

He ignored her. If he didn't know any better he would think she was going to recommend she marry him and gods, that wouldn't happen.

"Step back," he ordered and spun the hat.

The hat began to spin as if he'd been using it regularly for the past five years and the vortex opened.

"After you!" He offered. He was sort of tempted to shove Regina inside and burn the hat so she couldn't get back. They'd pay him homage then and his daughter would certainly be well taken care of.

Regina smirked, "Together!"

Well, forget that then.

They linked arms, "Hold on!"

Jefferson took a breath together they jumped in.


	52. Chapter 52

Jefferson felt a cold chill sweep over him as he entered through the mirror. He felt like he was walking under an ice cold waterfall even though he was completely dry.

Odd, he never felt that before…or had he just forgotten?

Regina stepped through with him and Jefferson knew that now they were truly bound. He had to protect her now or he was going to drag another dead woman back through the mirror.

He looked down at the cobblestones for a second…it'd been four years but if he looked close enough, he thought he could see his wife's bloodstains.

But that might be his imagination.

Jefferson felt the terror building in his chest as he remembered everything he'd gone through all the more vividly now that he was standing here.

His wife died…three miles south of here…

He heard something above the mushroom and he glanced up to see a giant caterpillar.

Oh gods, how ridiculous.

He made his gaze stone and stared ahead while Regina stared up at it in bewilderment. They had a mission. Grab something and come back and enjoy the life his little girl was meant to have. That was all. They were not here to sightsee at this abomination of a world.

"I hate Wonderland," he hissed and pulled Regina forward.

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Regina found what she was looking for. An object in a vault at the center of the maze just as the guards found them. Jefferson had worked to the point of exhaustion for the past four years and his body was in the best shape it had ever been. Running was no problem. Making sure Regina kept up with him in those heels…now that was the real challenge.

"The Looking Glass!" he cried out, "There it is!"

He started forward and only stopped when he realized Regina wasn't with him. He turned to see that she was over at the mushroom.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, "We can't stop now. We got to get out of here!"

"There's something I Need to do first," Regina snapped and broke off a piece of the mushroom, "A little snack."

Oh gods, they weren't here for a picnic! Their safety was literally a few feet away, "Are you mad? Do you know what the food here does?"

"I'm well aware," she muttered. She bent down with the open box and placed the mushroom inside. Gods, they could do this when they got over! The food would still work!

He watched as purple smoke emerged from the box and an older man appeared. Some sort of….servant or something…

"Daddy," Regina sobbed and wrapped her arms around him.

Jefferson felt his stomach clench as the truth of the situation began to dawn on him, "This is what she took from you? Your father?"

"The Queen of Hearts has always seen me as a threat," Regina explained, "So, she wanted some leverage. I got it back."

She endangered his life for this?! She kept this from him and there was only one reason that she would do that and that was to betray him.

Gods, he daughter was waiting for him.

"You knew only two can go through the hat," he started, completely stunned, "Which is why you didn't tell me about your father."

"IT was the only way to make sure you'd help me," Regina told him simply.

Jefferson had to stop them. He had to get there first…if he hurried then he'd be taking one of them with him…whichever one he wasn't sure. But he had to get through because if he didn't then he would be left.

The ground closed around his feet and solidified and he couldn't move.

Panic slammed in his chest and he struggled against the ground, "WAIT! WAIT! Wait, please! My daughter….my Grace…she's…she's waiting for me. I promised her. I'd….be home for tea."

It was weak and pathetic but he couldn't even comprehend the idea that he would be missing out on her life if he was left behind. HE would be killed here! And she would never know what happened to him. She lost her mother four years ago and she was just recovering from that and she was going to lose him too!

Gods, was this even because she knew what he did all those years ago or was she just angry that he had found happiness where she had not?

"A promise which you have now broken," Regina sneered, "If you truly cared for your daughter, you never would've left her in the first place. You were right Jefferson. You don't abandon family."

But he was doing it so she could have a life…he returned to this life that he now loathed so that she would be secure. Wasn't that enough proof that he loved her.

They turned to walk through the looking glass and he felt that panic return. This was the only portal he knew of the Wonderland….and unless Regina sent someone through it then he'd never see his home again, "NO!"

And then they were gone and portal turned back into glass.

"No….," he whispered.

He heard someone behind him…several someone's but he no longer cared. He just stared at the now closed portal…his own reflection and he truly looked at himself.

His daughter had no mother because of him and now she would have no father….

Because he thought his daughter would need material goods over him…

Because he trusted _her _of all people.

He just…stared at himself as the despair overrode any logical thinking. He barely paid attention to the man that came up beside him, "Take him to the Queen!"

He didn't struggle because there was no point. He just…let them drag him away.

His wife died here…maybe it was logical that he die here as well.

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Eventually the guards got tired of dragging him and forced him to walk to his execution. They forced him through the gate of the palace and walked him down a long narrow…bridge or something with no guardrails and a long drop. Everyone that surrounded the Queen stood around with unexpressive faces and wore masks but it was the Queen herself that kept his attention. Her face was covered…and she had some sort of horn in her hand that she spoke through. It was attention grabbing and he supposed that was the point. It wouldn't be the first time royalty used things like this to detach themselves and appear larger than life.

The knave spoke after listening to her, "Her Majesty says she knows you're responsible for helping to steal from her."

"The Queen," Jefferson started to defend himself, "She tricked me-."

The Queen of Hearts grew angry at that and he tensed.

"That. Woman's. Name," the Knave bit each word, "Is Regina. There is only one Queen. The Queen of Hearts."

Despite expecting to die, Jefferson tried to appeal to her, "Yes, of course…my apologies. Now please…."

The Queen spoke again through the Knave, "Her majesty wishes to know how you got to this world. How did you come to Wonderland?"

Jefferson knew it would be a very dangerous thing to reveal his daughter's existence but by now he was desperate, "If I tell you, will you let me go home to my daughter?"

The Queen spoke again and this time…he heard her, "Off with his head."

The executioner immediately stepped forward and Jefferson's eyes widened when he saw the axe. He stood rooted to the spot…mostly because of fear but there was wish to preserve his dignity as well. No matter how fast he ran, he wasn't getting away from this one. If he joined Karenina (and he believed he deserved this for abandoning his daughter anyway), He was going to do so without any more cowardice.

The Guard swung and in a panic he closed his eyes. He felt a horrible pain his neck but he didn't cry out. He wouldn't give them that.

And he waited for….nothing? The afterlife?

But other than a pain his neck and someone gripping his hair, he felt nothing. He opened his eyes and stared down at his….headless body. This was impossible. This was just his brain still having some activity. Death would come in a couple of minutes.

It didn't.

"I'm alive?" he exclaimed and then gave a more panicked cry when he realized he still had his voice, "I'm alive!"

How was this possible? Surely a world that was inside out and upside down like this one would have some rules in it!

The Knave spoke again, "If you wish your body back, then answer. How did you get here?"

He struggled for words in his terror…he should be dead. He WOULD be dead if not for…whatever it was that was keeping him breathing and speaking….even though that was beyond impossible, "The…the…the hat. My hat! We used my hat."

"Where's the hat now?" The Knave demanded.

"She took it," Jefferson said and then clarified, "Regina."

"If all you require to travel to your homeland is this magic hat, then surely, you could make another."

But Jefferson didn't know if he could….he had given power to the hat once…years ago when he was fifteen and he turned his hat into a portal by accident. That was when he was young and his magic was…plentiful. But now he was a man that was thirty-one now…the magic that he could've had 16 years ago was feeble and neglected. He wasn't sure he could build another one that worked when the first one only worked by chance.

"I can't," he told them, "A hat without magic is just a hat. It won't work."

"Then, there's your task," the Knave sneered, "Get it to work."


	53. Chapter 53

_Get it to work! Get it to work! Get it to work!_

That was what he told himself every day. He didn't eat…he didn't drink…he barely slept….he just worked.

_Get it to work! Get it to work! Get it to work!_

When wasn't sure when this madness started….but it was the only thought that consumed him. His daughter was waiting for him. She was crying herself to sleep right now perhaps because she didn't know where he was. She probably thought he was dead. She probably thought he abandoned her. Oh gods, he hoped she didn't believe he abandoned her. He hoped she was smart enough to realize that he would never do that intentionally. Gods, he should never have agreed to this.

_Get it to work! Get it to work! Get it to work!_

They gave him an unlimited supply of colors and fabrics and accessories…and Jefferson tried to make them he tried. He made them one by one…just hoping that his magic would flow into it. Gods, what good would him having magic be if he couldn't use it?

He worked until his hands were sore from clutching scissors and his fingers ached from holding the needle. He rushed to create as many hats as he could…he stabbed his fingers by accident so many times that his blood stained the fabrics. He hoped…just hoped that ONE of them would work.

But with a magic hat came a certain energy that he could sense, and none of them had that. He failed every day.

_Get it to work! Get it to work! Get it to work!_

And with that failure came…punishment. The Queen came in every day to assess his work. At first it was physical pain that she inflicted. His back and legs were beaten by reeds but they never touched his hands. Eventually his back was covered with welts and it was raw and bleeding. He could barely walk without crying in pain, but he supposed that was the point. The more time he spent walking, the less time he spent doing her bidding.

They shaved his head another time; the shears cut into his scalp so deeply that it would leave scars….He just stared blankly ahead as blood dripped down past his eyes. He would terrify his daughter if she saw him like this…scarred up and broken…

Maybe that was still the Queen's intention. Jefferson didn't know why he worked. He had abandoned hope of seeing her again. It didn't occur to him until after they shaved his head that he probably wouldn't join them on the way back. They would betray him as Regina had.

But he still fought anyway…he still hoped…because if he gave up then he would disappoint his daughter even more and the disappointment and failure he'd created for her was already irreparable.

_Get it to work! Get it to work! Get it to work!_

The emotional torture started a year after he was there. He hadn't had a full night's sleep in months. He'd barely eaten or slept. He didn't have time to. There was always work to be done.

He was sick, he knew that. He had forced too much of a toll on his body but he couldn't rest even if he wanted to. He was in too much pain.

He knew it was the fever when he looked up and saw his wife. He knew it was impossible that she was there but he still felt his heart swell in his chest when he saw her. He felt the tears start to surface as he stared into her beautiful blue eyes.

And for a second, he let himself believe that he was seeing her, "Karenina."

She gave a small smile.

He started sobbing then, "Karenina, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I ruined everything. It all fell apart…I've lost our daughter. I'm sorry. I couldn't protect her. It should've been me! It should've been me and not you."

He grabbed her hands desperately and stared into his wife's eyes…She looked sympathetic to him and he felt his heart break even more.

But it wasn't her. He knew that. But he was desperate…and he was tired and he needed to get this out of his system or else the guilt would drive him insane.

He reached out to wrap his arms around her torso. It wasn't her. It didn't even smell like her. If it wasn't a delusion then it was one of the witches in the court masquerading as his wife…he wouldn't be surprised. They had looked into his mind earlier to make sure he was telling the truth…it was a painful process that nearly killed him.

He should be furious…he should be angry that they were using the image of his dead wife to manipulate him but he was just so tired….other than Grace, there was nothing left. And it wasn't as if he had given his wife's memory any honor….so why should he defend it when he had failed her so badly?

Something warm soaked through his shirt and he pulled away. His eyes widened as the wounds that killed his real wife opened on her.

"No!" he sobbed, "Please. Don't. Don't make me watch it. Not again!"

He knew it wasn't her but it was just too real….so real that he visited Karenina's death in perfect memory.

The woman wearing his wife's face fell to the ground convulsing. Jefferson scrambled away to the corner and started crying harder. HE rocked back and forth with his hands over his eyes until they found him in the morning.

They broke something in him after that. The Queen tried to tore him with images of his daughter as well but…he didn't respond. He couldn't. He just worked.

He didn't know how long he spent in that room. It could've been 2 years, it could have been 20…and every day he lost both sanity and hope.

_Get it to work! Get it to work! Get it to work!_

He poured all his frustration and agony into his work…maybe one day…he could summon the right emotion to get the magic into the hat.

He poured so much energy into his work that he never even noticed the purple smoke that broke the windows in the room and covered him until he realized he couldn't see what he was doing.

_Get it to work! Get it to work! Get it to work!_


	54. Chapter 54

Jefferson had either lost his mind or this was a trick.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a bed…not like the small threadbare cot that he had spent….gods knew how long in but a large comfortable one that rivaled the one he'd slept in when he was rich. For a second he thought that he was back home …but then his eyes adjusted and he saw that this room was nothing like the one that he'd lived in and every horror he'd been through most certainly wasn't a dream.

But this might be. Or it might be a trick by Cora. He once heard that Regina had a toy that she was forcing to be a bedroom slave. He heard that sometimes she shared if she needed something from the other witches. Had that happened to him?

And then he felt it. The headache. It felt like someone was screaming in his head….he saw memories. Memories of another life that had his face. He saw a mother and a father…he saw several girlfriends and he saw him excelling at school and making his way into the world. He saw him inventing something and striking it rich and then he saw himself retiring here for peace and quiet when the city life led to something called an overdose.

The memories carried his face but it wasn't him.

He knew it couldn't be him but he felt it…every emotion was if he was there. And it felt as real as…

Was he insane?

The memories kept trying to invade his mind. They kept pushing his actual memories away…they were trying to fight for dominance. It was like he had two conflicting memories of what happened but instead of just a memory, it was everything.

He scrambled out of the bed and crawled into a corner. He waited for the torture to end….he clung to the memories…he tried to imagine his wife's face but instead it kept getting assaulted with the vision of a voluptuous redhead that gave him the 'drug' that landed him in the 'hospital'

No. he needed to remember his wife's face.

But all he saw was the bleeding dying vision that Cora gave him.

A sob left his throat and he rocked back and forth. His head was hurting as the two memories battled for control…as they tried to tell him why one was real but the other wasn't. The strength of the false memories weren't enough to convince him that they were real…but maybe that was the punishment…maybe that was what Cora and the others were doing to him.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there…huddled in the floor. He knew that it was getting dark when he finally got the bravery to stand.

The memories gave him the layout of the house…It took him an hour to summon the bravery to venture out into the hallway. HE was terrified that the minute he did something wrong, Cora would rip him back and torture him again.

He was shaking when he explored the house. It was quiet…almost too quiet. He made his way to something called a 'living room' and looked around at the room.

So far so good.

There was something at the window. A telescope. He had one at the old house.

He felt his heart hammer in his chest and he crept over…

Any second, Cora could rip it away….

He peeked through the eyepiece…terrified of what he might see.

And then he felt his heart leap in his throat when he saw Grace.

He didn't care if it might be false. He didn't care if it might be a trick…the only thing he could think of…was that Cora might have his daughter.


	55. Chapter 55

Jefferson himself didn't know the way down the hill and into the town.

But the other thing…whatever it was in his head knew somehow. And so somehow he knew the way of the town and he was able to find his way. The horseless carriage…whatever it was terrified him, but he drove anyway. They had his daughter. He couldn't waste time.

He might've let the other memories take over for more than just the bare basics but he was nervous that the other personality might take over more permanently. He couldn't…he couldn't have that. He couldn't risk it because he couldn't forget what Regina and Cora did to him. He refused to forget his daughter and his wife and the good memories that they provided him.

He found Grace with two people that he just barely recognized as the people he left her with. Good, she was still with them…Regina hadn't taken her from them.

And then he was out of the horseless carriage and walking to his daughter. None of these people made any move to stop him…they probably wanted him to see her and hold her before Cora ripped it away. He would risk it…if it meant holding his daughter again, he would risk it.

Grace looked up as he approached her. The neighbors were talking a couple of feet away and paid him no mind.

He fell at his knees in front of her and embraced her. The tears came then, the sobs as he held his daughter close. Cora had taunted him with visions of his wife and daughter but he knew they weren't real…there was something...out of sync about the whole thing. This wasn't. This was his daughter and they had him.

"I'm sorry," he shrugged, "I'm so sorry."

Grace was completely tense. It would be okay, he would find a way to get her out of here. They found a way to cross over to get her, then they didn't need him anymore.

He waited for this world or whatever it was to fall away. This delusion that Cora had apparently built to taunt him with, but it still remained.

He went to lift his daughter up and take her home.

And she immediately started struggling against him, "NO!"

People started to turn then, He struggled to hold onto her but she was squirming away, "Grace, it's okay! It's me!"

The neighbors he left her with raced towards them. Jefferson held her tighter against his chest, "Leave us alone!"

That…woman wrapped her arms around Grace's waist and pulled her away. Jefferson clung more stubbornly. No, they weren't going to take her away this easily.

"Don't touch her!" he snarled, "I'm her father."

"No you're not," that…_man _that he left her with spat. He yanked Jefferson away and his hands released her.

When he didn't have his daughter anymore, Jefferson flew into a panic. They would take her away again. He turned and slammed his fist against the man's face and ran for his daughter again. Grace shrank away and hid behind the woman as he drew closer.

"Grace!" he pleaded as he drew closer, "It's me! It's Jefferson. I'm y-."

"I'm not your daughter!" she screamed.

This was a trick. He should have known. They wouldn't let him have his daughter and they wouldn't let him go. What was he thinking? Was he going mad? They did this to mock him. They did it to torture him. They dangled his daughter in front of him and he was still separated.

But he would make her remember. Not all magic was permanent.

He reached to grab her again and the woman Grace hid behind yanked her away.

Someone grabbed him from behind and the weight sent him crashing down to the ground. He struggled against whoever was on top of him but the more he fought the more he was restrained. His arms were pinned painfully behind his back.

"Easy," someone told him. He struggled when he heard shackles placed on his wrists…that was impossible, they never even touched his hands or his wrists…those were practically priceless. Someone was going to get tortured for this.

He looked up to search for any familiar faces.

He saw Rumpelstiltskin. Not Rumpelstiltskin in his normal form, but Rumpelstiltskin in his human form when he had to take it when they went world jumping, "Rumpelstiltskin…Please…"

The imp just glanced at him and continued on his way. And Jefferson felt his heart being ripped out of his chest, "RUMPELSTILTSKIN!"

He was forced on his feet. He looked behind him so that he could tell Cora exactly who did this to his wrists. It was a bearded man; he had some kind of shiny star on his waist.

"That's my daughter."

"No, she's not," the man told him.

He started sobbing as he was being dragged away towards a black and white…horseless carriage, "Please…please don't take me away. Don't- GRACE!"

"Her name is Paige," the man said and forced him in the back, "And she's not your daughter."

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It was another prison. Just a white padded one with nothing in it but a bed. If it could be called that. It was more like a cot on some sort of stand. They took everything from him. He was given a white shirt with short sleeves and some cotton white pants but that was it. They took his clothes and his shoes…they didn't allow him anything.

Of course…he supposed that if they found a way to cross over and get his daughter, they didn't need him anymore. They'd probably keep him alive just because he MIGHT be useful. They'd keep him in this delusion to hurt him

This prison was odd. He didn't understand it. It wasn't…bursting to the seams with people. There was only one other girl A brown headed one that he saw when they were escorting him to the chamber pot an hour after feeding him.

Well, here it was called the 'bathroom' but he didn't understand why because the bath was a separate room.

But mostly, he just sat in the corner, curled up…just waiting.

He didn't sleep in the bed. He slept in the corner….where he sat. He barely ate anything and he barely drank. He just…waited.

He heard someone open the door and took the time to look up, "More fun and games?"

"Is that what you think this is?"

He felt his blood run cold when he saw Regina standing there. He immediately stood and started towards her, "You brought me here!"

"I could've left you in Wonderland to be tortured by my mother."

He felt the chills down his spine but then he remembered that Regina was a coward, "You would've have gone back to Wonderland unless you were sure she couldn't retaliate….did you imprison her or kill her?"

Regina scoffed, "That's not important."

"You killed your own mother," he noted.

"I've done a lot worse to cast this curse."

"Is that what this is?" He asked, "Are we even home?"

"No," she looked down, "We're in another world. One without magic naturally, the only one that has magic is me."

"Why?"

"Because this is my happy ending," she snarled.

"Doesn't sound like it me," he smirked.

"Happier ending than you will ever have," she came for him, "That's why I brought you. So that you'll know your daughter is alive…but you'll never ever have her again. Oh wait. She's not your daughter anymore. Not here. Her name is Paige and she's so very happy with the family that actually CAN provide for her."

Jefferson grabbed Regina by the throat and slammed her against the wall. Regina raked her claws down his face and shoved him away.

"You kill me, the curse collapses on itself and they all die. Including your precious daughter," she rasped, "You don't have that in you."

He didn't know if she was lying or not but he couldn't risk it.

"And just for that attack," she hissed, "I'm going to make sure you never get close to your daughter again. I'll convince Paige's parents to drop the charges and you'll be released due to my order…you'll have to go home eventually…and the minute you step on your property…I'll use what magic I have left to make sure you can't leave your property again."

"I'll kill you," he threatened angrily; "I'll find a way."

"I don't see why you're so offended Jefferson," she mocked, "I kept my end of the bargain. You have everything you want. A large house full of things you could never give your daughter…and your daughter is provided for. The deal never stated that you'd be the one providing the care."

"This won't last you know," he told her, "All curses can be broken."

"Oh, I don't think so," she hissed, "Not even Rumpelstiltskin himself could escape this, what makes you think it can end?"


	56. Chapter 56

Jefferson didn't go home.

If he went home, then he'd never be able to leave again. He wouldn't be able to fight. He wouldn't be able to get out of it. Regina designed it specifically to contain him and he wasn't about to be thrown into another cage.

Well, he imagined he would be. Regina might force him back if he stayed away for too long. Or turned him into one of her puppets, she'd always felt some sort of sick attraction to him. He didn't want to be her next Huntsman.

Jefferson used what money he had in his pockets to eat. Everyone was looking at him in the diner, so he lost his appetite. The sheriff told him he'd been served with a restraining order. The other person living in his head told him that that was a lot harder to get. Apparently he'd been served with several restraining orders from the various girlfriends who he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

But he couldn't get near his daughter again without there being serious consequences.

Grace.

He left the diner and walked….so many things that he wanted to say to her….but he couldn't. He'd never see her as anything more than Paige again.

But she'd always be Grace to him.

He walked down the main street until he reached the woods. At first there was a buzzing at the back of his neck that turned into a full roaring into his ears.

Jefferson stopped and held his hands out. There was a wall in front of him…but he couldn't see it. There was a barrier there….

They were under a dome….something was holding them all in place.

If there was some kind of wall somewhere, then there had to be a weakness. Everything had a weakness.

He would just have to find it.

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Jefferson circled the wall; eight times.

But there was nothing.

He reached up on his toes to see if there was an end…sometimes he climbed a tree but there was no way over it.

He dug until his hands were filthy, his nails were bleeding and he had a migraine from being too close to the wall.

There was no way under it.

There had to be a weakness somewhere.

He used what little money had had left to buy art supplies. He should've gotten something to eat as he was starving but this was more important.

He created a map. The ones surrounding the town were inaccurate; it made the town look smaller than what it really was.

His time as a Portal Jumper taught him how to create maps in record time. It came in handy when he had to make a quick getaway.

He spent two days mapping the town…as detailed as he possibly could. And when there was nothing else to do…he realized he was going to have to go back. There was no money left on his person….and no one was going to give charity to the crazy man…

And he wasn't going back to that basement. Not back to that padded room where someone else decided when he ate or slept or relieved himself….or control what he used to pass his time.

He had to go back.

Jefferson sat against the tree and started crying. No matter what; he was trapped; no matter how long he hid…he could never get to safety. He would always be under Regina's thumb.

And then another thought hit him. What happened if…Regina didn't use her mindless minion to force Jefferson back over the barrier to home? What happened if she didn't turn him into her newest toy?

What happened if Regina forced him back home because she threatened Grace?

No, he couldn't let her hurt his daughter. And she wouldn't…not if he did what she wanted. And she would keep Grace alive for leverage so he didn't find a way to kill her.

Rumpelstiltskin said that Grace was one of the girls he had considered to be his savior. What if he manipulated Regina to cast the curse and the savior was here? What if she was coming?

He had to have faith. He had to have faith that Rumpelstiltskin's plan had went flawlessly…and that he'd see his baby again.

Good always won. He had to believe that. He never saw any of that good…he was too much of a monster…but maybe one day he could find a way to get a second chance.

For now…he would play Regina's game.

He would go home.


	57. Chapter 57

The years passed, and Jefferson took it one day at a time.

Jefferson slowly went insane…There was only one person that he could communicate with. And it some teenager named Lauren who delivered his food to him every week. Sometimes she stayed to play chess with him before she told him she had to leave.

She only stayed for that, but he figured by the way that she looked at him that she'd like to stay for more things. Jefferson never touched her. There was only one reason that Regina would let her come and he wasn't going to be interested in that. He wouldn't be surprised if this kid was who Regina suggested for a new wife.

But he never touched her. They talked sometimes, and he taught her chess…but she only visited once a week and that was for an hour or less.

He turned into an insomniac. It was too quiet. Even when he was in his little room in Wonderland, he could hear things going on outside his room. Guards marching…people walking…someone crying somewhere…he could hear wind outside his room.

But in the house, he couldn't hear anything. The house was a little too well built. He could feel warm and cool with a push of a small little lever attached to the device on the wall. But…the walls were so well fortified that he couldn't hear anything that was going on outside. It was too quiet, and he wasn't used to it and he didn't like it.

So, he didn't sleep. Many times during the night, he would get up, put on his shirt, and stand outside. He would place his hand against the barrier that Regina used to keep him from leaving.

The years passed and he knew he couldn't leave…but that didn't stop him from trying to find a weakness.

It was something to do. The rest of the town was on some sort of loop unless Regina interfered with it. So, why shouldn't he get in the habit of it?

Because he was different than them. He should act like it.

He tried growing a garden…he grew a lot of his own food. He even started bringing in some money when went into business with Mr. Clark to sell some of his produce.

Regina was right. His house had everything and so he passed his time by learning how to cook…he tried various recipes. His house had all sorts of instruments that he taught himself how to play due to the books in his library.

He read the books three times. He even translated them in the languages that he was fluent in.

And he watched his daughter. Because everything was on a loop, he knew her schedule…every day of the week. Regina never messed with her. Jefferson thought that maybe that was because he stayed I n his barrier and stayed behaved.

At least Grace was happy. That's the only way this…life…if it could be called that was endurable.

And when he really couldn't sleep…he made hats. He didn't know why he tried. He knew this world didn't have magic naturally.

However, Storybrooke did…just under the surface. He couldn't tap into it…not with the curse in place.

So, he made his hats…sometimes he found comfort in his old profession and sometimes the memories of Wonderland would be too much and he didn't go into that room for months.

He just hoped that maybe one day…one day…he would be lucky.

And then one day he thought he saw a yellow bug pull into town. Jefferson noticed the pretty lady when she walked in with the Regina's son but he didn't…really think too much of it at first. He didn't pay much attention to anyone other than Rumpelstiltskin, Regina, Grace, and Grace's parents.

And then, when he was lying in bed…trying to get some sleep…he heard the clock ring.


	58. Chapter 58

Time moved.

The chiming of the clock felt like a jolt to Jefferson when he heard it. He didn't even take the time to consider that he might've been imagining it. He scrambled to the telescope and looked to the clock.

It was moving. He hadn't imagined it. It was 8:30.

Why wasn't anyone going to see the clock? Were they too invested in their lives? Didn't they notice? Did the curse prevent them from seeing that their lives were about to be turned upside down?

Because of this woman…

She was what Grace was supposed to be. She was the savior. He KNEW it. He just knew it.

When Grace wasn't outside, Jefferson glued himself to the telescope to watch the lady. She was pretty enough, he thought. Not as pretty as his wife of course, that would be ridiculous.

But she had spice. He had to admit that his curiosity (among other things) was aroused when she took the chainsaw and cut down one of the branches of Regina's tree. He watched each confrontation with Regina after that with great interest. She certainly had a way of angering Regina. And most of it came from her interacting with the baby that Regina brought into their little world.

Jefferson had no opinion about that poor child. But he felt sorry for him. If he had it his way and if he could've reversed the barrier holding him in here, he'd have taken the kid and raised him on the hill so Regina couldn't get to him and ruin him. He wasn't sure how Rumpelstiltskin or…whatever his name was got ahold of that poor child and he didn't want to know. He just knew that he did.

And that boy was depressed. Of course he would be.

What right did Regina have raising a child when she ripped so many others away from their parents and never paid for it?

She didn't.

It took him a bit to realize that the savior and the boy were connected. It wasn't until they were walking together out of the therapist's office her third night there that he realized that the boy MIGHT be her son.

That was good. The boy led her here. He could be useful.

And then he noticed something else. Rumpelstiltskin had spent 28 years under the curse. It was like he was under more of a haze than anyone else (although his conversations with Regina usually served to annoy her as well….come to think of it, for her 'happy ending,' she was annoyed by a lot). But then he came out of the inn after the savior went inside…and there was something different about the way he walked.

He was smirking now. Jefferson could see from there that his eyes were clear.

He remembered. Jefferson was sure of it. It made the most sense. Of course he would make himself remember the moment the savior came into town. He would want to get her under his control…to guide her to his own agenda and goals.

But the conversations THOSE two seemed to have, it made that seem easier said than done. This savior seemed to be…very defiant. Very wild and broken and closed off but…at the same time very vulnerable.

He needed to get to her. He needed to speak to her about Grace. She was the Savior; she could get his daughter for him.

But he couldn't get her here alone, he needed help.

It took months for Jefferson to summon his courage. He wanted to make sure Emma would stay, first of all. When she made it clear through her actions that Regina wasn't chasing her away; Jefferson pulled himself together.

He picked up his phone, used the information his false memories gave him and he called Rumpelstiltskin.

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Unlike most, Jefferson had seen Rumpelstiltskin in his human form. He shifted into that look when the worlds they explored together insisted he look human. But there was always a sort of…youth about him. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes that also spoke of danger if one angered him.

However, this was different. The Rumpelstiltskin here, stripped of his magic, looked old and tired. There was no mischievous glint, but there was an air of authority that made you believe he knew exactly what he was doing and he knew everything that was going on.

Rumpelstiltskin had jumped at the chance to meet him. He showed up later that night. Jefferson showed him in and fixed him tea. Other than the 'come in' it was silent at first. Jefferson could feel the tension from the imp and he felt coiled as well.

"I've seen Grace around," Rumpelstiltskin started, "Without you. I thought you might be dead."

"You saw me once," Jefferson took a sip of his tea, "28 years ago."

"That was 28 years ago."

"The sheriff was wrestling me down because I tried to take my daughter back."

Rumpelstiltskin raised an eyebrow, "Ah, yes, now I remember. There was a reason my Mr. Gold didn't go up here to collect rent. He didn't want to mess with the crazy man on the hill as they call you."

"How generous," Jefferson muttered.

"But I suspect Regina had something to do with that," he put the cup on the coffee table, "She designed my personality you know. If I had it my way, she wouldn't be within a hundred leagues of any child."

"But she is," Jefferson whispered, "And no matter what, we're partially responsible for that."

Rumpelstiltskin was quiet, "You've remembered for 28 years?"

Jefferson nodded.

"Gods," Rumpelstiltskin whispered and he looked sympathetic, "And you've chosen to isolate yourself."

"I wouldn't say 'choose," Jefferson muttered, "The same barrier that surrounds the town, surrounds my house."

"I'm sorry, Jefferson" Rumpelstiltskin whispered. I tried looking for you after you left, but you'd disappeared."

"That was the intent," Jefferson muttered.

Rumpelstiltskin was quiet, "But you got more than what you bargained for, didn't you?"

The realization was like a punch to his gut…as he realized that all this might've been avoided if he'd just stayed put and let Rumpelstiltskin use his daughter for whatever agenda she had in mind. He wouldn't have lived with himself if he did that to Grace, but was what happened any better?

The story came pouring out of his mouth before he could stop it. He told him about Killian and how they tried to make a life for themselves and how he was robbed and then had to scrape by. And then he told him about what Regina did and he told him about Cora and his imprisonment. He watched the blood drain from the imp's face.

"I'm sorry Jefferson," Rumpelstiltskin told him again, "You didn't deserve that. You didn't deserve…her."

Jefferson clutched the arms of the chair, "Maybe it would have been…maybe it would have been better if I'd just stayed. "

"Perhaps," Rumpelstiltskin took a sip of his tea, "I certainly would've been able to protect you from the likes of _her._"

"Except you wanted to use my daughter."

"It was never my intention to hurt Grace."

"Just like it was never your intention to send Karenina off to die?" he demanded angrily. It'd been over thirty years since her death and it still hurt. It still hurt to look in the eyes of the man that sent her off to die and know that this could've been avoided.

Sadness crossed over Rumpelstiltskin's face that Jefferson had never seen before, "I truly thought she could kill the Jabborwock without me."

"Well, she didn't," Jefferson snapped.

"And losing her was something I regret every day. Not just because she was a monster hunter who worked for me but as a person," he was quiet for a second, "I was quite fond of Karenina just as I was fond of you. It hurt me that she died. It was devastating, that I lost both of you considering I felt like I had a hand in raising you. But, she wasn't the first person I've had a fondness for that I've buried. And I imagine she certainly won't be the last."

The emotions that Jefferson felt now that Rumpelstiltskin genuinely took the time to apologize hit him, and he hung his head and began sobbing.

"I miss her every day," he whispered.

"I know," Rumpelstiltskin said quietly, "I know how that feels."

"Seven years wasn't enough."

"I had a few months with Belle," Rumpelstiltskin told him, "I'd have killed for seven years."

Jefferson looked up; this was a new story, "What happened to her?"

"She died," he said and Jefferson realized that further questions may not be best.

He was brimming with questions though.

"Is there a home to go back to?" Jefferson asked.

"Yes,' Rumpelstiltskin said, "The Enchanted Forest still exists."

That news filled him with hope, "Can we go back there?"

"I imagine with your portal, you can…I'm not sure though."

But Jefferson was past listening to his doubts," How do I get my daughter?"

"Jefferson, I don't think that's wise right now."

Of course Jefferson knew the risks. He knew she might have a double personality like him and wake up in this nightmare that he lived in for so many years. But he knew the Dark One. He could make her forget. He could make them both forget; he owed them that much, "How?"

"Well, you're not going to be able to do anything unless the curse breaks and I bring magic to this world," Rumpelstiltskin said tiredly, "And neither of those will happen unless the savior believes."

"She doesn't believe?"

"She's quite stubborn. This land thrives off science and skepticism. There's a perfectly logical explanation for everything and magic isn't it. Getting her to listen has been…challenging."

"Okay," Jefferson poured himself a cup of tea, "Bring her here, I'll confirm whatever everyone's been telling her."

"She won't believe."

"I'll make her believe," he said stubbornly.

"You and I both know that it doesn't work like that."

"Then what do I do?" he demanded.

"You stay here," Rumpelstiltskin said, "I have a plan in place."

"And what's that?"

Rumpelstiltskin rubbed his bad ankle "I've suggested to Regina that we make her stepdaughter's husband's cursed wife disappear and frame Snow. Now she believes that disappearance to be permanent, but I've taken steps to ensure that Mrs. Nolan survives. The curse is breaking…that barrier that separates us from the world is weakening and that has…unpredictable effects."

"A trial might show the world what Regina is," Jefferson noted.

"It won't get to that," he said, "Because Regina's going to plant one of her little skeleton keys under the bed of the cell after she frames her stepdaughter. Her stepdaughter will see things are not to her benefit and leave. She'll race to the border and…well…crossing the border right now would be very ill advised."

"You're going to kill the teacher to make the savior believe."

"It won't kill her; just put her under the sleeping curse. Emma is very stubborn, something like this is what she'll need to jolt her awake. She'll look at her mother's corpse…as she'll believe…realize that the stories her son are telling her about the town border might be true, and then she'll either believe or she'll start to believe. Meanwhile, Kathryn appears and it all links back to Regina."

"Her mother could die," Jefferson pointed out, "If this fails."

"You can't die under a sleeping curse."

"They'll bury her alive."

"She won't know they did," He shrugged, "Besides, I imagine her husband will prevent anything of the sort from happening. Emma will go under the mines to fight Maleficent and get the magic, I'll unleash it, and her fearless husband will wake her up with a kiss. Well thought out if I do say so myself. I do love things that have bookend endings. All I need you to do is stay out of the way when Mary Margaret runs through here. She will, because there isn't anyone to see her if she goes through here."

It seemed like a really big risk. Jefferson wasn't sure if his plan was such a good idea.

So he wasn't going to…completely undermine Rumpelstiltskin's plan. He was just going to tweak it a little.

After all, Rumpelstiltskin screwed over his family for his agenda. It was only fitting that Jefferson do the same.

They could call themselves even.

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It was easy to get this…Mary Margaret Blanchard out of the woods and into his house. All he had to do was tell her he believed she was framed and she came with him.

Regina made this personality far too trusting. No wonder she got bored with mentally and emotionally abusing her and stepped it up.

Jefferson found her, brought her inside, gave her some tea and explained that he would hide her until the searches ended. He told her that she could trust him…

And then she was asleep, the drugs in the tea wore her down as he finished assuring her that he could be trusted.

He dragged her to a storage room and tied her up. She didn't need to be causing trouble when he got Emma here.

He pulled on his coat and gloves and went outside. His property extended to the lonely road that led into town. Emma would be on it soon.

He had to convince her.


	59. Chapter 59

He walked up and down that quiet road for…he wasn't so how long.

Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Maybe he should've allowed Snow to cross the border…maybe he shouldn't interfere in a plan that Rumpelstiltskin had set and thought through.

But they couldn't be sure it would work. Emma was stubborn. How could she deny the existence of magic? If someone lived out there, wouldn't they want to believe in magic more? But no, she didn't according to the Dark One. She was being stubborn…because that was just his luck.

Anyway, he didn't care about the curse or…any of them. He just wanted his daughter back and he wanted to go home. Emma could have the rest of it. He didn't care.

Finally, a car that he recognized by sound was not Lauren's approached him. He played the part well….he avoided the car even though it wasn't…really a threat and tumbled down the incline when he was certain that she saw him.

People like Rumpelstiltskin and Regina would've just driven on by, but he was hoping Emma had more mercy than that.

He heard the brakes when he was climbing back up the hill; he looked up to see her running to him, "I'm so sorry! Are you okay? I didn't see you there."

"Uh, I think so," he muttered. He was a bit banged up…that was what happened when you rolled down a hill.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine, I'm not used to sharing the road with cars so late," he let his eyes wander for an instant. She was the first real woman he'd been close to in 28 years. Lauren hardly counted, she was still a child. He better cover himself though, she might get offended, "You're the Sheriff, aren't you?"

Hesitation crossed her face for an instant but she nodded, "Yeah."

Rumpelstiltskin might've found out what he did and tipped her off, he needed to find out what he was dealing with so he could get her home to convince her, "What brings you out here in the middle of the night?"

"Oh," Emma shrugged, "Nothing to worry about. I'm just looking for a lost…dog."

The lie was obvious.

"Well," Jefferson gave an easy grin to hide how hard he was laughing inside at the lie, "I hope you find it."

Emma smiled back, "Thank you."

He moved to walk and limped a bit. It wasn't bad, he'd tweaked his knee on the roll downhill, he'd probably be fine once he got home.

Oh, you ARE hurt!" Emma noted.

"No, I just…," he looked down at his foot and a new lie popped in his mind, "Twisted my ankle, I think. I live just a mile down the road. I'll make it okay."

"No!" Emma protested, like he knew she would, "Let me drive you. I insist."

He smiled again. He should've just done the ankle bit in the first place, "Thank you."

They started forward and he extended his hand, "I'm Jefferson."

Emma smiled at his chivalry, "Emma."

Yes, he knew that.

He made sure to exaggerate his limp so that she could feel even worse and he climbed into the car.

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Jefferson wasn't used to people gawking at his house. Everyone stayed away. Lauren had believed she dropped the fascination a long time ago because she believed that she had been delivering groceries to him since she was fourteen.

So, the fascinated way Emma stared at his house made him both proud and made him feel more isolated.

The home he had when he was rich was bigger than this.

"Wow," Emma exclaimed, "Is that your house? It looks more like a hotel. You must have a huge family."

"Nope," Jefferson said a little quietly, "It's just me."

He started limping more heavily to the door when he was certain Emma was watching.

"Here. Wait," she bent down and took her keys out of the car. She circled around and helped him up the stairs.

"Thank you," he said once they were inside, "Allow me to get you something to drink."

"I really should get back to it."

"Nonsense," he started forward, "It's a cold evening, you should have something warm, I insist. It'll be my thank you for helping me."

He led her to the living room and watched her stare at the roaring fire he built. He went to his kitchen; he didn't have much time before she got suspicious….

Or before her mother woke up and alerted them to her presence.

He slipped a small sedative in her tea, made sure it was dissolved and brought it in. Emma was still in the living room, thank God. He'd been worried she'd either have slipped away or gotten bored and wondered, "Here we go."

He placed it on his table, "I thought you might want to warm up for your search. It's cold out there."

"That is…," he heard the pity in her voice as she realized that he was alone up here, "Kind of you. But…I think I should get back to it."

"I know," he held up a rolled up map, "That's why I brought this. I'm a bit of an…amateur cartographer – mapping the area is a hobby. Maybe this will track down your dog."

Was that a bit of bragging in his voice? Was he trying to flirt and show off to this woman right before he drugged her and ripped her entire reality away for his own purposes?"

"Wow," Emma said at his skill and pulled it closer.

"What's his name?" Jefferson asked and moved to his own cup. He wouldn't drink out of it of course but Emma hadn't drank enough to render her unconscious. He had to ease that paranoia that was probably at the back of her mind. In this world….if a strange man brought you into his home and offered you something to drink, you didn't drink it.

"Sssspot," Emma obviously searched for a generic name.

He gave another small laugh; she was really bad at this. Didn't she suspect people would be asking her about being out so late?

"Cute," he muttered a bit sarcastically, but she didn't catch on.

Emma sipped her tea and pointed to the map, "Route Six runs the boundary of the forest, so…so, if I just follow that, I should….Be able to…,"

He heard her slurring her words but he wasn't exactly sure how drugged she was yet. He didn't want a fight on his hands. He was here to assure her, not terrify her, "Is something wrong?"

"I'm just, uh…feeling a little…."

She started to fall backwards; Jefferson caught her before she fell, "Oh, let me help you."

Emma was at least conscious enough to consider what he'd done. Because the minute her back hit his chest, she immediately tensed and squirmed…but ultimately had no energy to get away.

"Dizzy," she finished her sentence.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and half led; half dragged her over to the couch, "Let's just lay you down here."

He helped her on the couch. Emma couldn't even sit up…good, she'd drink enough for him to get done what he needed to.

"Let me get you some air," he told her. He hoped that would at least assure her that he did not horrific intentions for drugging her. He was allowing her her space…she might believe him more if she didn't think he was automatically going to try and climb on top of her the minute she passed out.

In that thought, he forgot about the charade until Emma pointed it out.

"Your limp!"

He stopped. Gods, he forgot about that.

"Oh," he searched for something to say and realized the truth might be fine now that he had her. He looked at her and gave a small laugh, "That."

He moved back to her as she struggled to keep her head lifted, "I guess you caught me."

The cup dropped from her hand.

"Who are you?" she slurred and fell back against the couch.

Now that all the lies were gone, he gave her a wide smile. She was his hope and once he convinced her that everything she denied was the truth…everything would be okay.

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Jefferson wasn't doing himself any favors by gagging her and tying her up.

But this was the only way he could think of to get her to listen. He had no magic here and so he couldn't show it to her…and her son's attempts had been apparently failing. So he went to her car and hid it. He took her gun that he found in the glove compartment and held onto it in case he needed it. Jefferson wouldn't hurt her of course but she wouldn't have to know that.

Then he searched her pockets for any weapons and he took her coat. That probably wouldn't do him any favors in her believing that he wasn't going to keep her there for…any sick fantasies.

But he knew from personal experience that coats were a great place to store weapons. He'd had a few secret places that held knives to protect himself before. Once he even had a pair of brass knuckles in there. Karenina was worse. It was a wonder she could move in her coat.

So he tied her up and gave her some space…he had a lot to prepare for anyway. He hadn't made a hat in a very long time…things would need to be prepared.

He left his door open so that he could hear when she tried to leave. She'd get out of the bonds…he knew she probably would. Something about her told him that she was adaptable.

He didn't hear her exit the door (GREAT time for it not to creak in the history of it always creaking), but he did hear the floor creak down the hall. He turned and walked to the hallway.

She wasn't there. She'd slipped in one of the doors. He would've seen her if she didn't. Besides, the front door was bolt locked…she wouldn't be able to get out without turning it and he would hear. That thing was just as noisy as the doors.

So she was in one of these rooms…which one?

Maybe the one with her mother?

Oh, that'd be a good show.

He crept to the other end of the hallway…just around the corner and waited.

And true enough…they came. They looked back to the room that he'd been in; they were so intent on him NOT catching them that they didn't realize he already had.

He pulled back on the trigger release to get their attention and he gave a jovial smile now that he could at her horrible lie, "I see you found Spot!"

Emma kept a calm demeanor, "I've already called for backup. They'll be here any second."

He'd already been around enough of her lies to know when she was bluffing, "You haven't called anybody. For the same reason you didn't tell me about her. You don't want anyone to know you're here, which means, nobody does."

The defeat in Emma's face told him that what he put together was right, "So, now tie her back up."

He kept a proper distance and watched as Emma tied her mother back to the chair. Her mother had a terrified look in her eyes, "Emma."

"It's going to be okay," Emma assured her.

Jefferson wondered if Emma really believed that. And if she didn't, which one was she assuring more? Her or her mother?

Emma stood after gagging her mother, but made no move to come towards him, "You're telescope – you've been watching me. Why?"

Oh, so she had been looking.

He moved forward and pulled her away with him, "I need you to do something."

Her mother screamed through the gag and he took one final glance at her before he shut the door; thereby muffling her…muffles.

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He was aware that Emma had a brain in her head (Despite her seemingly trusting Sidney of all people) so she had to know that he had all the high ground.

That didn't stop her from storming over to him once he shoved her in his hat making room and shutting the door behind both of them, "I don't know what you think you're doing, but if you hurt my friend, I swear I'll make you regret it."

"Hurt her?" Jefferson felt that sting himself. If only she knew what he'd done for her mother, "I'm saving her life."

"How do you figure that?" Emma asked backing away.

Jefferson followed her; he didn't have time for this, "Don't play stupid. WE both know what happens when people try to leave Storybrooke."

"What are you talking about?!" Emma demanded.

Jefferson was aware that Emma probably did not know what happened, but that didn't stop him from continuing, "The curse."

Emma stopped, and he saw that dread in her eyes, "What curse?"

"The one keeping us all trapped," he said slowly, what other curse could there possibly be? He couldn't help himself and he let his eyes wander as he took in his savior. It'd been 28 years after all…but that was the last thing on his mind. This was his savior? She was broken; she was hurt, and cheated by this world. She had the same haunted look in her eyes that he carried in his, "All except you."

Emma seemed to search for any logical explanation, "Have you been reading Henry's book?"

"Henry?" he searched his memory, "You mean the queen's father?"

"Henry," Emma clarified, "The mayor's adopted kid."

"Oh Henry!" he said with a small smile. The fact that she still thought Henry belonged to Regina told him all that he needed to know about where her mindset was. He couldn't use her need to be reunited with her son against her. She didn't even think of him completely as her son, "Your Henry! Yeah, his book of stories, the ones you choose to ignore."

Emma narrowed her eyes slightly and he continued, "Maybe if you knew what I know…you wouldn't."

"Why have you been spying on me?" Emma demanded.

And her walls were back up. That also told Jefferson where her mindset was with the curse.

He moved around her and pointed the gun at her head for a quick second in case she tried anything, "Because for the past twenty eight years, I've been stuck in this house. Day after day, always the same. Until one night, you, in your little yellow bug, roll into town, and the clock ticks, and things start to change."

He saw her slowly start to turn to him, "You see…I know what you refuse to acknowledge, Emma. You're special."

It'd been a very long time since he told a woman that.

"You've brought something precious to Storybrooke – magic."

She wanted to believe. He could see it in her eyes. She had that desire to be special, to be needed. To be that pretty princess long lost from her parents where only she could save them.

"You're insane," she whispered.

A small breath escaped him. She was listening. She pretended she wasn't but he knew he had her" Because I speak the truth?"

Emma gave him a look of pity but he saw that desire in her eyes, "Because you're talking about magic."

He shrugged it off, "I'm talking about what I've seen. Perhaps, you're the one that's mad."

"Really?" Emma muttered.

"What's crazier than seeing and not believing? Because that's exactly what you've been doing since you got to our little hamlet," he stood right in front of her so that she would have no distractions, "Open your eyes. Look around. Wake up. Isn't it about time?"

The want and need in her eyes deadened a bit, "What do you want?"

"I want you to get it to work," He said and forced her to sit down. He lost her, her walls were up. He didn't think it would be easy but it would've been nice.

"You want me to get what to work?" Emma demanded.

Jefferson bent down with his face next to her hear and took a second to breathe her in. She smelled like lilies, "You're the only one that can do this."

He thought of his daughter…still down there and he put his chin on her head, "You're going to get it to work."

"Get what to work?" Emma demanded.

Jefferson grabbed some fabric off the table and dropped it in front of Emma, "Make one like that."

"You want me to make a hat?" Emma asked dubiously, "You don't have enough?"

"Well, none of them work, do they?" he asked condescendingly, "Or else you wouldn't be here. Now, make a hat, and get it to work."

Emma picked up a small pair of micro-scissors, "I don't-."

"You have magic,' he told her. He wondered how many years Emma had been told she COULDN'T do anything, "You can do it."

Emma looked back at the tea kettle and then at the hats, "The tea, the hats, your psychotic behavior…you think you're the Mad Hatter."

He shifted in his chair uncomfortably. Her blunt observation humiliated him even though they were the only two in the room. He'd been sane once…before Regina and Cora got done with him. And now his only hope didn't believe him and she thought he was mad, "My name is Jefferson."

"Okay," Emma said and gently put down the fabric, "You've clearly glommed onto my kid Henry's thing."

He wondered if she called him 'her kid' now that she realized there was a possibility he'd interacted with Henry before and heard her theories.

"They're just stories. The Mat Hatter is in Alice in Wonderland – a book. A book I actually read."

"Stories," Jefferson mocked, "Stories? What's a story? When you were in high school, did you learn about the Civil War?"

"Yeah," Emma said in frustration, "Of course."

"How?" he taunted, "Did you read about it, perchance, in a book? How is it any less real than any other book?"

Emma searched for a reason; History books are based on history."

"And storybooks are based on what?" he asked, trying to get her to think, "Imagination? Where does that come from? It has to come from somewhere"

Emma continued to look doubtful, so he started again. Living on this hill gave him plenty of time to think, "You know what the issue is with this world? Everyone wants some magical solution for their problem, and everyone refuses to believe in magic."

He pointed his gun at the hat, "Now get it to work."

Emma sighed, "Here's the thing Jefferson."

She gestured around the room, "This is it. This…is the real world."

"_A _real world," he clarified. That was a fundamental fact. He knew that as a child in the orphanage. How was Emma supposed to be their savior if she didn't even grasp this basic known fact? He stood form the chair and leaned over the table, "How arrogant are you to think yours is the only one? There are infinite more. You have to open your mind. They touch one another, pressing up in a long line of lands. Each just as real as the last. All have their own rules. Some have magic, some don't. And some need magic. Like this one. And that's where you come in. You and your friends are not leaving here, until you make my hat. Until you get it to work."

He put the scissors down in front of her. He was giving her supplies of course but he hoped that she realized he trusted her with an extremely sharp object despite her predicament.

Emma lifted up the heavy scissors and cut into the fabric. It didn't occur to him until now that maybe she had no idea what she was doing, "And then what?"

It was a quiet question, and so Jefferson settled down himself, "Then I go home."

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They worked in silence…all night. Occasionally Jefferson would tell her how to do something and she would listen. She understood that he was a threat…and that she needed to do what he told her if she wanted to get home.

But as the sun began to rise, she threw the hat on the table, "I can't make it work, what you're asking me is impossible."

Jefferson slammed his forehead against the back of the chair several times in frustration, "NO!"

He stood up and fixed the edges of the brim, "It has to be. If it's not, I'm never going home. I'll be cursed to live in this house forever."

He threw the hat on the table in frustration.

"What is so cursed about your life? Look at this place. It's beautiful. It doesn't seem very cursed to me."

Of course she was impressed with it. She didn't know better, "It's cursed because, like everyone else there, what I love has been ripped from me."

He moved to the telescope, "Take a look."

Emma crossed over and looked into the telescope where his daughter was having breakfast.

"Her name is Grace," he explained, "Here, its Paige. But it's Grace. My Grace. Do you have any idea what it's like to watch her day in and day out, happy, with a new family?"

He didn't bother to hide his jealousy, "With a new father?"

Emma gave him a sympathetic look, "You think she's your daughter?"

"I don't think," He raised his hand to explain himself but Emma flinched like he was going to hit her. That disturbed him. What sort of life had she led to where someone could turn on her in an instant? "I know. I remember."

He wanted to make her understand how big that was…how big this entire conversation was but it wasn't working. He moved away and sat on the corner of the table, "She has no idea who I am. Our life together, where we come from. I do. That's my curse."

"To remember," Emma said slowly.

He gestured to the room, "What good is this house, these things, if I can't share them with her?"

Emma moved forward, "If you think she's your daughter, why don't you reach out to her? Why don't you tell her?"

He stood as well. He didn't want to tell her that he'd tried that because then he'd revisit the memories of what had happened to him afterwards, "And destroy her reality? I'm trapped by knowledge. How cruel do you think I am? You think I'd inflict that awareness on my daughter? It's hard enough to live in a land where you don't belong. But knowing it, holding conflicting realities in your head…will drive you mad."

When he'd first arrived, he wanted nothing more than to wake his child up but 28 years later, as the voices argued in his head about who he was supposed to be, he realized he could never put his child through that.

Emma started to look like she understood, "That's why you want me to make the hat work, isn't' it? You just want to take Grace home – to your world."

She was starting to believe…she was starting to trust him. He felt all sorts of emotions start to surface and he struggled to shove them all back down, "It's the one world where we can be together…where she'll remember who I am."

Emma gave him a tender look, "I know what it's like to be separated from your kid."

He saw the pain in her eyes. She was sympathizing with him. If she understood then maybe she'd help him, "Yeah, you do, don't you?

Emma looked through the telescope again, "It can make you feel like you're losing your mind."

"I'm not losing my mind!" he told her harshly, "I'm not crazy, this is real."

He saw a tear had fallen down her cheek when her back was turned

"Maybe," she whispered and he saw that desire to be important and loved and needed return to her eyes, "Maybe it is."

It was almost too good to be true, and Jefferson found himself hesitating, "You believe?"

"If what you say is true, that woman in the other room is my mother," Tears filled her eyes and she looked like she was struggling to hold herself together emotionally, "And I want to believe that more than anything in the world. So, maybe you're right. Maybe, I need to open myself up more. Maybe if I want magic, I have to start believing."

The turnaround was too quick. She was giving him exactly what he wanted and every instinct screamed that she was lying.

Then why did he believe her?

"So you're," he started and felt like a little kid, "you're going to help me? You can get it to work?"

Emma kept eye contact, "I can try."

A huge burden lifted from his chest. She believed him, she was going to help him, and if she didn't believe then he could show her. He'd find a way. He'd get his daughter back and they'd go home and Emma would believe.

He backed away from her and grabbed the hat. It wouldn't be hard for her. Rumpelstiltskin said she was powerful. She could probably get it to work with just a touch.

He turned towards her and she swung. The betrayal of the move stopped him for just a quick second before the telescope that he used to watch his baby slammed against his face. He lost consciousness immediately.

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It was only for a couple of seconds. Maybe a minute he was out.

It was a trick, she had deceived him. She had played off his fears for his daughter and she hurt him. Just like everyone did.

He was enraged as soon as he woke up. Play time was over. He ripped his cravat off so that he could breathe and he grabbed the hat and placed it on his head. If she wanted the Mad Hatter, she was GETTING the Mad Hatter.

He raced to the room where he had put her mother. She was not leaving until she made his hat work. And she certainly didn't need to be willing to get it done for it to work.

"EMMA! LOOK OUT!" Her mother screamed as he raced into the room. Emma turned and tried to raise her gun but he slammed into both of them. They all went tumbling to the ground. Emma recovered before he did and crawled across the carpet toward the gun. Jefferson grabbed her ankle and pulled her away from it. She gasped at the carpet burn she no doubt had and tried to go for it again. Jefferson moved forward with her, grabbed her by her hair and pulled her head back.

He's seen her temper in action, she wasn't getting that gun.

Emma brought up her elbow and slammed it against Jefferson's face. He released his grip temporarily before he was on her again. He wrapped his hands around her neck. He almost considered going through with it…she lied to him, she'd betrayed him, and she wasn't going to help him see his daughter. In fact, she would fight harder to keep it from happening.

But if he killed her, the curse broke, and Grace would live in this torment.

Emma forced his head back and he realized that she was looking at the scar that ran around his neck.

He gained his senses again, pulled her up by her throat and threw her across the room. He grabbed the gun and pointed it at her. Emma stopped the attack, as she knew not to rush a man with a gun and watched as he pulled his hat on and smiled at her.

Her terrified eyes never left his scar.

And now she was the true him. He sneered, "Off with his head."

He was so focused on Emma and what he should do with her that he didn't notice her mother until it was too late. The croquet mallet slammed against his back. He buckles under the impact. He wasn't sure if she hit him again or not…but he moved backwards to get away from the attack.

Snow White lifted her leg and kicked him as hard as she could. He was only faintly aware of the breaking glass behind him and then he was falling.

He was falling in the air…he was going to land and if he didn't break his spine or his head open, then he was going to be cut to shreds by the glass.

The hat landed first…and then right before he hit the ground, the portal opened and he fell through.

It worked. It had magic…Emma did it.

Did they even see?

He expected to land in the multiple door room but he didn't. He just…slammed into the ground in the middle of the woods.

He looked around and saw that he was right by a cliff.

Of course it wouldn't open to other worlds. There wasn't official magic here yet. But he did land in another part of Storybrooke.

Out of the border that kept him trapped on his own land.

He lay there for several minutes. He wasn't…paralyzed, that was good. But the fall had hurt him.

He needed to get to safety. And he most certainly was NEVER going back to that house as long as that border was still up.

There was a cabin not far away that no one used…he hoped. He would get in touch with Rumpelstiltskin from there. He would help him.


	60. Chapter 60

The floorboards creaked when Jefferson walked in. It smelled like dust and decay and there were cobwebs on the ceiling and corners…

But this little cabin in the woods was going to be home for a while until the savior believed

"The pipes rattle," Rumpelstiltskin told him as he came in there and stood beside him. I wouldn't drink the tap water if I were you. The bed's not as comfortable as the one you have, I would imagine but the mattress is good…you won't get stabbed by springs…if sounds like it'll collapse under you but I imagine it won't."

"Thank you for helping me," Jefferson whispered, "Even though I…you know."

"Interfered with my plans?"

Jefferson sighed, "I made a call. I didn't want to see anyone get hurt."

"And yet you did what you did to the savior and her mother."

Jefferson shrugged, "I didn't want to hurt them. I just…wanted her to believe."

"Yes, well…she's quite stubborn."

"She is," he muttered.

Rumpelstiltskin looked at him, "I'll…bring you supplies for a couple of days. When everything blows over, I'll go get you some clothes and bring you to my home. You can watch your daughter and make sure she's safe for you there."

"Thank you," Jefferson said and looked around the small cabin.

"Hm," Rumpelstiltskin moved to the door, "I'd tell you to stay close to the property, but now that you're free, I know I'll be wasting my breath."

Jefferson saw a rat lying dead in the corner.

Oh yes, that was true.

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Rumpelstiltskin's counterpart Mr. Gold had such tacky interior design taste…

And exterior as well.

Jefferson had stared at this house for nearly thirty years and he never really thought anything of it. Mr. Gold was…eccentric. Not as eccentric as the imp himself but this…this was different.

But now that things were changed and Mr. Gold was now Rumpelstiltskin, how Jefferson now viewed the house was…also changed.

Rumpelstiltskin walked slightly ahead of him and he didn't notice Jefferson lagging behind at first…but the moment he did, he turned with an irritated scowl, "Jefferson, we need to get you inside."

But Jefferson couldn't contain himself…it was a bad and stressful situation and he was tired but he shook with giggles. Finally he started laughing, "You live in a pink house!"

"Oh gods, is this what this is about?"

"The evil Dark Being Rumpelstiltskin; King of Dark Magic; Taker of Children and Women and Spinner of Lies lives in a pink house!" Jefferson taunted and then doubled over laughing.

"It's salmon!"

"With green trim!" Jefferson couldn't breathe; tears ran down his face….his side hurt. He wasn't sure he could straighten out his back, "Oh gods."

"I may have had a hand in raising you since the age of five, boy," Rumpelstiltskin said with his jaw clenched, "But make no mistake, I will knock you out with this cane, throw you in the trunk and call the sheriff."

"You wouldn't do that," Jefferson smirked, "You're too short and you have only one good leg."

"Then I'll call the sheriff."

"You need me," Jefferson said, "Because I've observed these people for 28 years and you haven't….and you said the curse will break soon. You'll want me to keep an eye on everything, that's why you put my telescope on your third floor balcony."

"It seems you didn't stay put."

Jefferson shrugged, "You didn't expect me to."

They walked up the stairs, and Rumpelstiltskin turned to him, "And I do NOT take women. Just the one."

"Who was she?"

"Perhaps I'll tell you over tea some evening since you're stay looks to take a while with the rate Emma is going."

Jefferson looked at his…mentor, "Is the inside as offensive as the outside?"

"Oh for the sake of the gods, it wasn't me that wanted this house. Regina gave it to me!"

Jefferson stepped in, "Oh my gods, it is!"

"I should have made you sleep in the dungeon when you were a boy!" Rumpelstiltskin snapped.

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Rumpelstiltskin had gotten Jefferson his telescopes when he went to the house to get him some clothes. There was a condition for him staying of course, he made himself useful and watched.

That's why he saw Regina place a card on the license plate of Grace's bicycle. That's why he risked himself to walk down the street in broad daylight to take it before Grace saw it and marched himself right to Regina's office.

She was staring through the window when he arrived. She was staring at her tree. He should burn it down…finish what Emma started.

He was going to kill her. She used his daughter to bother him and for that, he would snap her neck. He could do it now, the curse was about to break. Maybe it would've put them in some limbo when the curse was intact but now that it was weakening, maybe he could do it.

"Jefferson," Regina sneered when walked in. He glared at her and shut the door with a slam, "So, you got my message."

"How could I miss it?" he demanded, "You know I watch her."

Regina walked by him, her shoulder brushed against his, "It must be so painful, your daughter Paige being oh, so near."

He cringed at that name, it felt like a blow to the face, "Grace. Her name is Grace. You should know that – you changed it. What do you want?"

Regina poured two drinks, "Your help."

Oh, that was rich.

"And what makes you think, I won't kill you after everything you've done?"

"Because you don't have it in you," Regina walked back to him, "If you did, you would have done it 28 years ago when I brought you here. Because you know if I'm dead, you'll never get back to your daughter. And I have a way for us to both get what we want."

She held the drink out to him. He didn't take his eyes off her as he dropped the card into the glass and waited for her reaction.

She was annoyed but she didn't give it away. He _should _kill her. He believed it would break the curse…

But if he was wrong then there was no going back and he couldn't risk it.

Regina put the drink down, held onto her own, and grabbed something hidden away. Jefferson kept his face expressionless as Regina opened the hatbox, the hatbox that was his first gift from his wife and then when he laid eyes on both that and his old hat; he had a bit of trouble keeping it together.

"My hat," he said with affection. He didn't indicate how important the hatbox was to him because Regina might use it against him.

"I want you to use it again."

Gods, why should he?

"I can't make it work," he explained. He sort of wished she was there for the seminar with Emma so that he didn't have to explain it again, "No one can. Not here. Not without magic."

"Well, then you're in luck because I happen to have some," she told him, "Not a lot but…hopefully enough for….one last journey."

She held his hat out to him. He saw that the seams were coming undone and he bristled. That was his hat, it was expensive to make, and made of the most expensive fabric in the store at the time. It was his and his wife's living and not only had it been taken from him, she hadn't even thought to take care of it, "Where?"

He could at least humor her. Get her hopes up before he slammed them down.

"Back to our land," she told him, "Where there's a solution to a very delicate problem I have…how to get rid of the one person who could break my curse."

"Emma," Jefferson said slowly and grinned. Always good to remember that no matter the problems she caused him, the trouble she caused Regina was infinitely worse, "And why should I let her do just that? End the madness and go home?"

"To your hovel? Selling fungus at the fair? Why? When you could just stay here in the mansion I gave you?"

She was trying to remind him of his poverty. That may have worked over 28 years ago, but it certainly wasn't going to work now. And why should he want to go back to that house? Did she really not think that after 28 years of being trapped there, he'd actually think it a viable living environment?"

Idiot.

Regina rested her hand over his heart as she passed and he felt his blood run cold. He told himself that there was no magic here. She couldn't hurt him. She couldn't take his heart but he still tensed, "My problem Jefferson is the same as yours. It's family. We both want our children back and we can get them, if we work together."

The last thing that boy needed was her back as a mother.

"Why should I trust you now?" Jefferson demanded.

"You shouldn't," Regina shrugged, "But it's the only offer you've got. After we're through, I'll wake up your dear Grace, so she remembers who you are."

It was a lie. She didn't have the power to do that and she couldn't possibly know if their home was still intact, but he rushed forward anyway, "No! Remembering is the worse curse. Two lives in her head like me. I want to forget. I want you to write us a new story, a fresh start, here."

He knew the risk that she was lying like before. And if she made him forget, then how would he know she fulfilled her promise? How would he know that she gave him his daughter?

How did he even know that he would get that far? He knew she didn't have THAT sort of magic.

But then again, he had a contingency plan in place, in case she tried to screw him over.

He knew where Belle was.

"Well, my dear Jefferson, then that's exactly what you'll have," Regina said and stopped, "Oh. After we take care of Miss. Swan."

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Jefferson had only found out about Belle recently. He knew there was another girl living in the basement of the hospital. He knew that since he was there. But it wasn't until Rumpelstiltskin and he got drunk his first night there and Rumpelstiltskin showed him a drawing of her that Jefferson knew.

Because on top of having a double personality, he had a perfect one too…at least his alternate did. He remembered everything, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget. So he remembered the girl. He recognized her face.

And he thought up a plan. He couldn't tell Rumpelstiltskin outright that he knew where Belle was. That would mean he lost his edge in getting his daughter back and now…even if he sold Emma out to the Queen and she died, he could play his part. Rumpelstiltskin would be pissed that Regina killed his savior.

He'd be infuriated with what she did to Belle.

And Jefferson had to be careful about how he let Rumpelstiltskin know she was alive. The second he found out Jefferson knew and didn't tell him, he'd be a dead man.

So he had a plan in place in the outcome that Regina screwed him over. (He knew she would), he had a way that he could still win.

She had needed his help moving the coffin that allowed them entrance to the stairway (barbarian), and he felt the chill as he walked down the stairs behind her. He wasn't sure if that chill he felt was because of the cold or because f his own worry that he might not be walking out.

"Watch your step," Regina told him.

He looked around, "What is this place?"

Who was he fooling? He knew exactly what it was.

"Where I've kept the last bit of my magic. The only magic in this world is in the things I brought with me."

Jefferson wondered how many magical things Rumpelstiltskin brought with him, but he knew it was too late to go inquire.

Regina led him to a room on the side with little alcoves. Against one wall that held boxes and urns.

Jefferson realized she was waiting for him; he lifted up the hat so that she could see it and placed it in the middle of the room. Like he suspected; it didn't move.

"It's not spinning," he told her obviously as she stared intently. He would've liked to have seen how long that lasted but he didn't have all day, "It's not working."

Regina looked around, "It needs to absorb the magic that's here. I have some things left….a few trinkets."

She took out the box from one of the side walls and dumped some small contents into the box. Jefferson waited, lifted it up, turned it over, and nothing fell out. So the hat had accepted the magic…but it still needed more.

"It's not enough," he told her, "You need something that still works.

Regina slowly pulled out what looked like a bronze ring and stared into it. A…face stared at her. Jefferson narrowed his eyes, the man looked familiar but he couldn't place him, "Who's that?"

"Someone long gone," she whispered.

Oh yeah, the fiancé her mother killed, that was right. How could he forget such a boring stupid face?

"Well, whatever or whoever it is," he said dismissively, "It still has magical properties. Give me that, and let me see what I can do with it."

May it fall in and not come out.

She hesitated and so Jefferson tried not to sound smug as he willingly took from her the last bit of the person she loved from her.

"If you want your son back, if you want your revenge, give it to me."

Regina reluctantly dropped the ring into the hat (He tried not to look satisfied) and they watched as the purple vortex opened and things didn't…exactly spin more as wobbled."

Regina looked at him, "What's wrong? Why isn't it opening a portal?"

He bent down and read the magic….he felt some of it stirring in his veins like it did in the days of old…it almost felt refreshing, "The magic – it's not enough. We can't go anywhere."

That made him extremely glad. At least he didn't have to worry about the object they were fetching being more of a _someone _and he got left behind."

"Then you failed," Regina snapped.

"Maybe not!" Jefferson said quickly, before his chance at being reunited with his daughter failed. How was this his fault when she was the one who squandered all her magic on…what? Fixing a bad hair day? Controlling her bed slave into obedience? There's enough magic to touch the other side, just not to get us there. There might be enough to…reach through and retrieve something."

Regina knelt down and stared at him in awe, "I can bring something back?"

"Is there an object that can help you?" he started. Gods, he hoped it wouldn't kill Emma. The only reason he was helping Regina and not her was because Regina gave him a better opportunity. Emma gave him a bruised spine and the possibility of jail time, "Perhaps I can open it enough to reach through and grab it. It would have to be small. Something that you can take with your hand. Is there anything like that that can help you?"

Regina smiled as something dawned on her, "Yes, Yes, I believe there is."

Jefferson lifted the hat, "Then, you need to direct me to the time and place where this object exists."

He handed the hat to Regina.

"How?"

Gods, was it that hard to think for herself when Rumpelstiltskin wasn't doing the thinking for her?

"Think about it," he told her, "Guide the hat."

Regina smirked and closed her eyes. She slowly put the hat back on the ground. A purple vortex began to form. Regina laughed and looked around the room.

Jefferson kept his focus, "Excellent. It appears to be working. Now, what is it we're after?"

Regina looked at him, "An apple."

A few second passed and it flew up. Jefferson reached out and caught it before it plummeted back into the hat and the hat absorbed the magic.

Regina stared at the apple in awe. Jefferson felt something wet and moved it to see that someone had bitten into it.

Wonderful. How sanitary.

He looked at her and held it out, "Is this it?"

"Yes," Regina took it from him and stared at it like she was in love, "Yes, it is."

"And my daughter?" he prodded. It didn't occur to him until that moment what he'd done. He was purposefully endangering a woman's life that could've helped him…who could've done something if she just listened, "My Grace?"

"First things' first," Regina said, "The deals' not done."

And that was when Jefferson realized fully that Regina was going to find a way out of this deal.

"The deal's not done. Not until I solve the next conundrum. How to get this savior…to taste my forbidden fruit."

And Jefferson knew that it might be time to consider the contingency plan.


	61. Chapter 61

Jefferson had gone back to Rumpelstiltskin's house to change (He wanted the smell of Regina off him) when he first heard the ambulance. He'd barely had time to scramble up to the third floor and look at his telescope before he saw the Queen's boy loaded up into the ambulance.

And automatically he knew what happened.

So he went to the hospital…and he spent…until dark trying to summon up the courage to go in. But finally he managed to put one foot in front of the other. Time was wasting. His daughter was waiting for him.

His heart pounded as he walked the halls and finally found the room he was looking for. The boy in the bed hardly looked like the same that was full of life earlier today. He was so pale…he looked so small under that light.

This was Regina's fault; this wouldn't be the first time her boy suffered because of her.

She leaned over the bed, "I'm sorry."

Gods, that was a joke. All these years of treating her son like a possession…of ripping families apart and now she was sorry?

"Pity isn't it?" he said harshly, "There's nothing harder than not knowing whether you'll ever see your child again."

"Jefferson," Regina muttered, "Now is not a good time."

"For you. Well, for me, it's the perfect time. I'm here to collect," he felt his throat constrict at the next words. He was going to get his baby back home, even if he had to strangle Regina to do it, "Where…where is she….my daughter?"

Regina leaned forward, "Emma was supposed to eat that apple and she didn't, as far as I'm concerned, that makes our deal null and void."

Oh no, he did his job. He got the apple. He got the right apple too. He did his part. It was not up to him to control or convince Emma to eat the apple. He wasn't going to be punished for HER failure, "I did what you asked, and you're going to screw me over again?"

"Look at it however you want, Jefferson. The fact is, I'm done with you."

He smiled a bit and shook his head, "But I'm…..I'm not done with you."

"What are you going to do? Kill me? I know you want to…but I also know you can't."

He hoped that was an invitation as he would willingly oblige her, "Do you?"

"Yes," Regina sneered, "You don't have it in you. Now, if you excuse me, I have to save my son."

He turned and left him there.

Well, that just opened him up for the perfect opportunity. He may not have it in him to kill her (debatable, but he didn't want her blood on his hands before he met his daughter)

But he knew someone who would.

It was not wise to anger the portal jumper that was friends with Rumpelstiltskin. Especially when that portal jumper had 28 years to learn everything no one else knew about this town.

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Sleeping curses were simple. They kept you alive but gave the appearance that you were dead. Nothing could detect life. No manual searching, no spell….people were buried alive by the hundreds because someone didn't realize they had been cursed with a sleeping potion.

So if Jefferson's theory was correct…in the time it took him to go to the pawn shop and get the orderly clothes (Rumpelstiltskin gave him the strangest look) and stop by Rumpelstiltskin's house to get what he needed, and then stopped by the diner for the tea he had to drug, the boy would give the appearance of crashing.

Everyone rushed around when he arrived. He easily brushed past them until he reached the door to the psychiatric ward.

No time for nervousness…he had to get Belle and get her out of here before Regina returned and caught them both.

The nurse was still the same as the one that held him captive here…

No, he couldn't think about the walls closing in around him. He gave her her drink, "Your tea."

"Thank you," she took a drink, "What's the commotion upstairs?"

She wasn't paying attention to his neck scar…that was good. He'd been worried about that, "There's a sick boy. He took a bad turn."

"How tragic," she said. It almost sounded like she meant it, "Is there any hope for a…."

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her face hit the desk.

"Recovery?" he grabbed the keys and a jacket. Not when the boy had Regina for a mother, "Doubtful."

He scanned the doors on his way there. Most were empty. There was a new one though…for Regina's toy Sidney Glass, but he hardly paid attention to that one. He wasn't here for him.

The janitor…the same one that moped these floors for 28 years looked up. Jefferson put a finger to his lips so he didn't raise an alarm. He found the door he was looking for and opened it.

The girl wasn't that pretty in Jefferson's eyes. But then again she was dressed in a frumpy gown with dirty tangled hair. Regina hadn't allowed her to be attractive here. He held out his hand, "Come with me."

"Who are you?" she got up, "Why are you doing this?"

"My name is Jefferson," he stared right in her eyes, "And I need your help to do something that I can't. There's a man. His name is Mr. Gold. Find him. All you have to do is tell him where you've been, and that Regina locked you up."

Belle gave him a very confused look, "Wait a minute, what?"

He understood this was a lot to take in, but there was no time "It's very important. Mr. Gold's going to protect you, but you have to tell him Regina locked you up. He's going to know what to do. You understand?"

She managed a small nod, "Yes, I-I have to find Mr. Gold."

He took her hand and led her out of the hospital and probably to her first breath of fresh air that she had in 28 years.

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He had done it. One of his plans had worked. Now he just had to sit back and wait. He had followed Belle at a safe distance until she was in the shop. He worried Regina might see her.

And now that she was safe, he went to the diner and had breakfast. And he waited.

He was finishing off his hash browns and smirking as he imagined all sorts of horrible things Regina would suffer at the hands of Rumpelstiltskin when a breeze drifted into the room. That was strange…the door wasn't open.

The people around him started to stir. They started to cry and murmur among themselves. Someone dropped a pan in the back.

Behind him, he heard someone call out, "Princess."

He looked behind him and saw a man bowing before that woman that had disappeared and her death had been set up by Regina to frame Snow white.

He felt a kick to the gut.

"This isn't what I wanted," he whispered and raced to the door.

This meant that he failed and his daughter would be like him.

The curse couldn't be broken.


	62. Chapter 62

His daughter remembered. She would know who he was and what he'd done.

Jefferson wanted to go back to his house and spend the rest of eternity trapped in it but when Rumpelstiltskin stopped by with Belle (Good, someone did something right), he let it slip to him that the barrier was gone.

And magic was back. Jefferson had seen and been surrounded by the cloud. He didn't care, he figured that's what it was the minute he felt his portal magic return to him.

So going to the house and being trapped forever as his own form of self-punishment was out of the question.

If she had two lives in her head, she was going to have to learn to live with it. And no one there could help her except Rumpelstiltskin and Regina.

Rumpelstiltskin might use this opportunity to use his daughter for another one of his agendas.

No, he couldn't let that happen. He had to find her. He had to talk to her and beg her forgiveness for the many times he failed her. He had to teach her how to live with all the voices in her head.

But first he was going to make a peace offering. He'd been to the store earlier today. There was a small tea set and a rabbit that he'd bought. Maybe it would endear him to her for him abandoning her. It wasn't the rabbit she wanted back home but…to be honest he hoped he never laid eyes on that rabbit again.

He found another one that he liked though and he paid for it and put it in the car.

He sat in his car debating with what he was going to stay until evening. Suppertime passed, it was almost bedtime for Grace and if he didn't do this now, then he'd lose his nerve.

He turned the ignition in the car and pressed on the gas…his hands shook as he did so. Hours and hours and he still didn't know what to say to her.

He would think of something.

Years and years of conning people to do what he wanted and he couldn't think of a proper 'I'm sorry' for his little girl.

Because no apology would ever be good enough.

The earth shook and but he didn't care. The lights flickered.

It was probably Rumpelstiltskin and Regina duking it out.

He drove past the Pawn Shop and glanced in. Rumpelstiltskin was there…he didn't see if Belle was with him. He didn't care if she was.

And then something flew at the car. Jefferson jumped and screamed. The thing seemed to lift Jefferson's car and before he knew his car overturned and skidded. His seatbelt snapped and he fell towards the roof.

He slammed his head against the door and then nothing….

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Jefferson woke up and it was morning. His car had been completely overturned and the door was stuck. There were things in front of it….and he couldn't get the window down.

His head hurt.

He heard people walking by and he screamed for help. He struggled for hours but no one came.

Though finally something happened. He heard the debris being cleared away and he screamed louder. Finally the door opened and he slumped against the roof. Oh, it was nitwit Nolan. He had watched him all year and he could tell this man…whoever he was NOT that bright.

"Ah, thank you," he said anyway, "No one…heard me."

Or no one bothered.

"You okay?" David asked.

He managed a small nod.

"Good," David grabbed him, "Then that means we can talk."

Jefferson felt his muscles ache as this man pulled him out of the car and to his feet.

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"Would you like something to eat?"

Jefferson wasn't really hungry, he just stared at him. He hoped his guy said what he wanted to say quickly and let him alone so he could go home.

It was fate. It prevented him from getting to his daughter and so he wasn't going to.

Or maybe it was cowardice. He never returned to her in all those years. How did he explain to her why he didn't come for her that first night?

He took out a handkerchief and wiped his face.

David threw the hat on the table, "Can you get me through?"

What had they done to his hat?! That thing was expensive!

"No," he tried to hide his frustration.

"Can you get them back?"

Jefferson rolled his eyes. Yeah, let him just reach into his back pocket and get a summoning spell.

"Can you get it to work?"

_Get it to work! Get it to work! Get it to work! _

The irony of that statement got Jefferson to burst into giggles. He couldn't get his magic to work to get his daughter, what made this man think he could get another?

There was a tear in his eye; he rubbed it, "If you only knew."

"Okay," David leaned forward, "You had a little girls' tea set in your car and a stuffed rabbit toy, so I'm thinking you have a wife you love."

Jefferson felt the guilt slam into him and he lowered his eyes.

"Well, I do too," David said, "And a wife. And they're out there somewhere. In the Enchanted Forest, or a void, I don't even know. But I'm going to get them back."

Jefferson thought it best just to east his fears, "They're in the Enchanted Forest, that's for sure, I just can't get there."

That was the only open portal he could….feel. He didn't know how to explain it. It was very faint but somehow he could sense that's where they were. He might've been able to tell them more if they hadn't ran over his hat and then jumped up and down on it.

David looked shocked and then hopeful, "It still exists?"

Jefferson felt frustrated. He was missing the entire important point, "It exists. I don't know if that matters, since we can't go there."

"So, you won't help me," David muttered.

"I'm a portal jumper," Jefferson nodded down, "And you destroyed my portal, so you're out of luck."

David leaned forward, grabbed him by his cravat and yanked him forward, "Well, I'm the closest thing left to a sheriff here, so I can just throw you in a cell until you figure out a way."

Was that supposed to scare him? He'd been in worse cells by worse captors for the past thirty years. He held his gaze, "Then all we'll do is both sit. Stuck."

David realized he wasn't going to get anywhere and let him go.

"Two lives in our heads, cursed worse than ever. Two lives, forever at odds. Double the pain…double the suffering-."

He used the distraction to shove the table at David and he raced away before the man could recover.

He wasn't going back in a cell.

And it looked like he wasn't going to be reuniting with his daughter anytime soon either.


End file.
